The European Ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, has proposed that the principle of good administration should figure prominently in the Berlin Declaration currently being prepared by the German EU Presidency to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. In a letter to the current President of the European Council, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Ombudsman stated that "... shortcomings in the quality of services delivered by public administrations at the European and Member State levels limit the practical benefit that citizens derive from European cooperation. Promoting good administration therefore deserves a central place in an agenda focused on citizens."

According to the Ombudsman, "good administration" means:

• A citizen-centred administration
  A citizen-centred administration acts impartially, fairly and within a reasonable time. It avoids unnecessary red tape and keeps administrative costs for citizens and enterprises to a minimum. There has been significant progress in recent years towards creating a culture of service to citizens in the EU institutions and bodies. More needs to be done, however.


• An open and accountable administration
  Transparency and accountability go hand in hand, and are key to building citizens' trust in the Union. Greater access to information and more open decision-making procedures should be assured.


• An administration focused on results
  EU law should be put into effect by public administrations throughout the Union so that citizens can make full use of their EU law rights. Where problems arise, quick and effective remedies should be available.

The European Ombudsman receives every year several thousand complaints from citizens, enterprises, associations, NGOs or regional authorities. Among the alleged types of maladministration are lack of transparency, refusal of information, unfairness, abuse of power, discrimination, procedural errors or avoidable delays.

To read the full letter to Chancellor Merkel, please go to: