The European Ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, and the French Ombudsman, Jean-Paul Delevoye, have invited ombudsmen and petitions committees from all 27 EU Member States as well as the candidate countries, to exchange views on:

"Rethinking good administration in the European Union"
Monday, 15 October 9.00 h - 16 October 13.00 h, Strasbourg

Press Conference:
Tuesday, 16 October, 13.00 h
in room WIC 100
Winston Churchill Building
av. du Président Robert Schuman
European Parliament, Strasbourg

The ombudsmen meet within the context of the European Network of Ombudsmen, which comprises over 90 offices in 31 countries and serves as a mechanism for cooperation in dealing with citizens' complaints. It is equally active in exchanging information about EU law and sharing best practice. The network aims to make the work of ombudsmen in Europe better known and to clarify the service that ombudsmen provide to citizens, businesses, associations and others.

National and regional ombudsmen deal with complaints against public authorities in the Member States. Their competence extends to problems related to the application of EU law, and covers, for example, complaints about health services, social security systems or pension payments.

The European Ombudsman investigates complaints concerning poor or failed administration in the European Union's institutions and bodies, such as the European Commission. Examples of issues he deals with are late payment, refusal of access to documents and discrimination.

National Ombudsmen Seminars are held every two years and are organised jointly by the European Ombudsman and a National Ombudsman in one of the Member States.

To register for the press conference or to request an interview with the European Ombudsman, the French Ombudsman or any of the other ombudsmen participating in the Seminar, please contact:

Gundi Gadesmann, Press Officer of the European Ombudsman, tel: +32 2 284 2609, mobile: +32 475 348 993;
Christine Tendel, Press and Communication Advisor to the French Ombudsman, tel: +33 1 55 35 22 40, mobile: +33 6 74 22 75 62.

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PROGRAMME
Monday, 15 October

09:00 - 09:45 Opening of the Seminar

• P. Nikiforos Diamandouros (European Ombudsman)
• Jean-Paul Delevoye (National Ombudsman of France)
• High-level French representative(s)

09:45 - 10:15 Keynote speech

• Allan Rosas (President of the Third Chamber, European Court of Justice)

10:45 - 12:00 Session 1: Legality and good administration: is there a difference?

• Chair: Emily O'Reilly (National Ombudsman of Ireland)
• Keynote speaker: P. Nikiforos Diamandouros
• Discussants: Alex Brenninkmeijer (National Ombudsman of The Netherlands), Joseph Said Pullicino (National Ombudsman of Malta)
• Questions and discussion

14:00 - 14:45 "A Europe of Results - Prevention, Partnership and Transparency"

• Jens Nymand-Christensen (Director responsible for Better Regulation and Institutional Issues, Secretariat-General, European Commission)

14:45 - 16:00 Session 2: The relationship between ombudsmen and the courts

• Chair: Allar Jõks (Legal Chancellor of Estonia)
• Keynote speaker: Mats Melin (Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman of Sweden)
• Discussants: Marc Fischbach (National Ombudsman of Luxembourg), Janusz Kochanowski (Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection of Poland)
• Questions and discussion

16:15 - 17:30 Session 3: Remedies, redress and solutions: what do ombudsmen have to offer?

• Chair: Peter Kostelka (Member of the Ombudsman Board, Austria)
• Keynote speaker: Ann Abraham (UK Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman)
• Discussants: Zdenka Čebašek-Travnik (Human Rights Ombudsman of Slovenia), Arne Fliflet (Parliamentary Ombudsman of Norway)
• Questions and discussion

17:30 End of the first day's proceedings

Tuesday, 16 October

09:30 - 10:45 The European Network of Ombudsmen Statement

• Chair: P. Nikiforos Diamandouros
• Keynote speaker: Hans Gammeltoft-Hansen (Parliamentary Ombudsman of Denmark)
• Questions and discussion

11:15 - 12:30 Session 4: Free movement of persons: what are the problems and how do ombudsmen deal with them?

• Chair: Enrique Múgica Herzog (National Ombudsman of Spain)
• Keynote speaker: Jean-Paul Delevoye
• Discussants: Eliana Nicolaou (Commissioner for Administration of Cyprus), Yorgos Kaminis (National Ombudsman of Greece)
• Questions and discussion

12:30 - 12:45 Closing of the Seminar and summing up

• Jean-Paul Delevoye
• P. Nikiforos Diamandouros

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PARTICIPANTS

	Mr P. Nikiforos Diamandouros European Ombudsman European Union www.ombudsman.europa.eu		Mr Jean-Paul Delevoye National Ombudsman France www.mediateur-republique.fr
	Mr Peter Kostelka Member of the Ombudsman Board Austria www.volksanw.gv.at		Ms Maria Theresia Fekter Member of the Ombudsman Board Austria www.volksanw.gv.at
	Mr Guido Schuermans Federal Ombudsman Belgium www.federalombudsman.be		Ms Catherine De Bruecker Federal Ombudsman Belgium www.federalombudsman.be
	Mr Guinio Ganev National Ombudsman Bulgaria www.ombudsman.bg		Ms Eliana Nicolaou Commissioner for Administration Cyprus www.ombudsman.gov.cy
	Mr Otakar Motejl Public Defender of Rights Czech Republic www.ochrance.cz © Archive of the Office of the Public Defender		Mr Hans Gammeltoft-Hansen Parliamentary Ombudsman Denmark www.ombudsmanden.dk
	Mr Allar Jõks Legal Chancellor Estonia www.oiguskantsler.ee		Ms Riitta-Leena Paunio Parliamentary Ombudsman Finland www.oikeusasiamies.fi
	Ms Kersten Naumann Chair of the Federal Petitions Committee Germany www.bundestag.de		Mr Yorgos Kaminis National Ombudsman Greece www.synigoros.gr
	Mr Máté Szabó Parliamentary Commissioner for Civil Rights Hungary www.obh.hu		Mr Attila Péterfalvi Parliamentary Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information Hungary www.obh.hu
	Ms Emily O'Reilly National Ombudsman Ireland www.ombudsman.gov.ie		Mr Donato Giordano * National Co-ordinator of the Regional Ombudsmen * Regional Ombudsman of Lombardia Italy www.consiglio.regione.lombardia.it
	Mr Romāns Apsītis National Ombudsman Latvia www.vcb.lv		Ms Albina Radzevičiūtė Seimas Ombudsman Lithuania www.lrski.lt
	Ms Zita Zamžickienė Seimas Ombudsman Lithuania www.lrski.lt		Mr Marc Fischbach National Ombudsman Luxembourg www.ombudsman.lu
	Mr Joseph Said Pullicino National Ombudsman Malta www.ombudsman.org.mt		Mr Alex Brenninkmeijer National Ombudsman The Netherlands www.nationaleombudsman.nl
	Mr Janusz Kochanowski Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection Poland www.rpo.gov.pl		Mr Alberto Oliveira Deputy Ombudsman Portugal www.provedor-jus.pt
	Ms Erzsebet Rucz Deputy People's Advocate Romania www.avp.ro		Ms Janka Divincová Adviser to the Public Defender of Rights Slovakia www.vop.gov.sk
	Ms Zdenka Čebašek-Travnik Human Rights Ombudsman Slovenia www.varuh-rs.si © Robert Balen		Mr Enrique Múgica Herzog National Ombudsman Spain www.defensordelpueblo.es
	Mr Mats Melin Chief Parliamentary Ombudsman Sweden www.jo.se		Ms Kerstin André Parliamentary Ombudsman Sweden www.jo.se
	Ms Ann Abraham Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman United Kingdom www.ombudsman.org.uk		Mr Thomas Frawley Northern IrelandOmbudsman United Kingdom www.ni-ombudsman.org.uk
	Mr Dejan Palić Deputy Ombudsman Croatia www.ombudsman.hr		Mr Dragi Celevski Deputy Ombudsman Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia www.ombudsman.mk
	Mr Kjartan Björgvinsson Deputy Ombudsman Iceland www.umbodsmaduralthingis.is		Mr Arne Fliflet Parliamentary Ombudsman Norway www.sivilombudsmannen.no
	Mr Felix Dünser Regional Ombudsman of Vorarlberg Austria www.landesvolksanwalt.at		Mr Josef Hauser Regional Ombudsman of Tyrol Austria www.tirol.gv.at/landesvolksanwalt
	Mr Frédéric Bovesse Regional Ombudsman of Wallonia Belgium www.mediateur.wallonie.be		Mr Ullrich Galle Regional Ombudsman of Rhineland-Palatinate Germany www.landtag.rlp.de
	Ms Inge Howe Chair of the Regional Committee on Petitions of North Rhine-Westphalia Germany www.landtag.nrw.de		Mr Giorgio Morales Regional Ombudsman of Tuscany Italy www.consiglio.regione.toscana.it
	Mr Rafael Ribó i Massó Regional Ombudsman of Catalonia Spain www.sindic.cat		Mr Tony Redmond Chairman of the Commission for Local Administration in England United Kingdom www.lgo.org.uk