# Closing statement to European Network of Ombudsmen Conference 2025 - Author: European Ombudsman - Date: 2025-11-21T00:00+01:00[Europe/Paris] - [URL](https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/speech/en/215987) --- Dear colleagues and friends, It is a bit sad to say that our conference is coming to an end but many things will stay with us. I hope you will go back home with many reflections and inspirational thoughts, and with new friends on whom you could rely in difficult times. As we all know, once one puts a face to a name, it is easier to pick up the phone a few months later and ask for advice. After having listened to the ombudsmen rapporteurs of eight workshops, I am also convinced that we were able to trace a vision for ENO by challenging our own traditional thinking. Through our discussions we were able to come to conclusions which could sustain the impact of ENO on our day-to-day work, and through it, on EU citizens' rights. Priority was given to the necessity, for all the different participants, to know more about each other and their respective roles. I'm glad everyone seemed willing to engage their own office in a meaningful relationship with others to achieve a better application of EU law. It was a series of highly productive workshops---truly inclusive, interactive, and instructive. Experts from the Commission and EU agencies outlined the main challenges they face, while ombudsmen contributed with their own practical experience. This created real space for discussion and genuine dialogue. There are recurring themes that deserve special attention, because they can serve as a foundation for strengthening our triangular network of collaboration and trust: between the European Commission, the national and regional ombudsmen, and the European Ombudsman. We reached several important agreements, including the need to make broader use of ENO's unique tools, particularly parallel inquiries and queries. It is now clearer than ever that queries are a valuable way for national and regional ombudsmen to understand how the Commission interprets EU law. We also saw the benefit of allowing ombudsmen to follow, in real time, how our colleagues handle similar EU law cases. To this end, we discussed options such as dedicating sections of annual reports to EU law matters or increasing institutional communication to share more often cases involving the incorrect application of EU law. These tools could, indeed, help identify systemic issues and improve complaint handling. We also identified areas suitable for parallel inquiries: cross-border cases for national ombudsmen, and cases involving shared EU--national competences or EU composite decision-making for cooperation between national ombudsmen and the European Ombudsman. We must admit: ENO has come a very long way. When it was created in 1996, its primary aim was to share information on developments in EU law and to facilitate cooperation among national and regional ombudsman offices. Today, as ENO continues to evolve, we see new opportunities---not only for parallel inquiries, but also for other tools that can be used together, yet independently---strengthening our collective ability to uphold the rights of citizens. During these two half-days we identified problems and found some solutions. But we all know from our own work that the success can be only measured by the follow-up. We are not done yet. In less than two months, our liaison officers will meet in Malaga to propose concrete updates to the conclusions we have reached today and provide details on opportunities for you to contribute your voice and get involved in ENO's 30th anniversary celebration. I would like to share with you two ideas for this celebration to be discussed further in Malaga: the *30-Years Anniversary ENO report to the European Parliament* and the *AI Era Code of Good Administrative Behaviour for Ombudsmen Offices*. I warmly thank the Andalusian Ombudsman Office for hosting the ENO liaison officers meeting. To finalise, allow me one conclusion: the ENO 2025 conference demonstrated that our common aim is to re-find ENO's core mission, so it is fit for purpose in today's context. I thank each of you for your active participation. I thank eight ombudsmen-moderators and eight-ombudsmen rapporteurs and their staff who dedicated their precious time to prepare the workshops and then brilliantly steered the discussions and shared the conclusions at the plenary. I thank all our experts. The European Commission mobilised thirty members of its experienced staff to be with us yesterday and today! This only shows how true is the Commission's statement in its communication '*Better results through better application* ' that---I quote---'*it would strengthen its cooperation with the ENO which is coordinated by the EO and brings together national and regional ombudsmen to promote good administration in the application of EU law at national level*.' Contributions of all experts were extremely useful and beneficial; of the Commission colleagues, of the Fundamental Rights Officers from Frontex and EUAA, as well as of the representative of the FRA. I thank the representative of the Venice Commission for his insights. Very much appreciated by all participants at the workshop on ombudsmen independence. Finally, I would like to thank my team---especially Marta Hirsch, who now has internal responsibility for following the ENO, and through her, all the inquiry officers involved. My thanks also go to Gundi, Head of our Communications Unit, and through her, all the communication officers who contributed. I am truly privileged to work with such dedicated people who both work for, and believe in, the important mission of this institution. With this, dear colleagues, I wish you every success in your individual work and in your work within the ENO framework. My staff and I stand ready to support you in every possible way.