The complainants raised concerns about an opinion of the Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER), which advises the European Commission. The opinion covers scientific evidence on the adverse health effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, which are generated by mobile phones or Wi-Fi, among other things. In particular, the complainants raised concerns about the composition of the working group set up by SCHEER to prepare the opinion and how it prepared the opinion, including the evidence it took into account.

The Ombudsman opened an inquiry and sought to inspect documents related to the case, as well as meet with representatives of the Commission.