It must be underscored that EU public law does not provide a universally accepted definition of conflict of interest or a uniform procedure to address conflicts of interest. The importance of the matter can be hardly overstated. In this respect, the Ombudsman has found that, in order to maintain public trust and confidence in their activities, the institutions should do their utmost to avoid not only actual conflicts of interest, but also potential and apparent conflicts of interest. In making this statement, the Ombudsman drew inspiration from the OECD Guidelines for Managing Conflict of Interest in the Public Service, which appear to be developing into the common vocabulary on matters of conflict of interest shared among EU institutions.