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Showing 1 - 20 of 39 results

Decision on how the European Central Bank (ECB) dealt with a request for public access to documents concerning its gender-related policies (case 1309/2025/MIG)

Tuesday | 12 May 2026

The case concerned the European Central Bank’s (ECB) refusal to give public access to documents containing advice relating to its gender policy and related measures. The ECB considered that disclosure would undermine the protection of legal advice and its internal decision-making. The complainant argued that there is an overriding public interest in disclosure, namely in understanding the legal reasoning underpinning the ECB’s gender policy and related measures.

The Ombudsman inquiry team inspected the documents at issue. Based on this, the Ombudsman found that the content of the documents could reasonably be regarded as legal advice and that it had been reasonable for the ECB to consider that disclosure of the documents would have undermined the protection afforded to legal advice. In addition, the Ombudsman found it reasonable for the ECB to consider that there was no overriding public interest in disclosure.

The Ombudsman thus closed the inquiry finding no maladministration.

Decision in case 1829/2019/EWM on the European Commission’s failure to grant access to documents relating to meetings between Commissioner Jourová and stakeholders

Tuesday | 12 November 2019

The case concerned a request for public access to documents related to four meetings between Commissioner Jourová and several external stakeholders. Having waited for a reply from the Commission for six months, the complainant turned to the Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman closed the inquiry because after her intervention, the Commission replied to the complainant and granted partial access to the requested documents.