Seen in this perspective, moreover, resource and budgetary constraints cannot justify systematically putting the burden on citizens themselves to pay for consultation documents to be translated if they wish to participate in the democratic life of the Union through the Commission’s public consultations. The Ombudsman therefore maintains his view, as expressed in the draft recommendations, that the " Commission should ensure that all European citizens are able to understand its public consultations, which should, as a matter of principle, be published in all the official languages."