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Decision of the European Ombudsman in the case 2147/2019/VB on the alleged failure to reply to correspondence addressed to Europe Direct
Päätös
Kanteluasia 2147/2019/VB - Tutkittavaksi otetut kantelut, pvm Tiistaina | 10 joulukuuta 2019 - Päätökset, pvm Tiistaina | 11 helmikuuta 2020 - Toimielin, jota kantelu koskee Euroopan komissio ( Ei hallinnollista epäkohtaa ) - Maa Romania
Dear Mr X,
On 25 November 2019, you submitted a complaint to the European Ombudsman against Europe Direct on the above subject matter. The Ombudsman has asked me to deal with your complaint and reply to you on her behalf.
You contend that Europe Direct failed to acknowledge receipt of, and reply to, several queries that you have sent to it. We have contacted the Commission, which is responsible for the functioning of Europe Direct, asking it to reply to you or to explain why it has not replied.
The Commission informed us that Europe Direct did not reply to your queries since it considered them to be ‘repetitive, abusive and/or pointless’ and it has therefore decided to temporarily ‘discontinue such exchanges of correspondence’.
We note that Europe Direct has informed you that ‘given the repetitive nature of your enquiries [...], and in line with the relevant provisions of the Code of Good Administrative Behaviour, [...] the EDCC is not in a position to further continue correspondence with you’.
It appears that your queries relate to the same matter as you have already contacted Europe Direct about. We therefore maintain our finding made in relation to a previous complaint from you (1389/2019/KT), in which we informed you, by letter of 8 October 2019, that ‘taking into account the fact that, since the beginning of 2019, the Commission has received at least nine queries from you, most of them about the same matter, we consider that the Commission has helped you to a sufficient extent, taking into account the need to ensure an appropriate and efficient use of its administrative resources. In this regard, Article 14(3) of the European Code of Good Administrative Behaviour sets out that no acknowledgement of receipt and no reply need be sent in cases where letters or complaints are abusive because of their excessive number or because of their repetitive or pointless character’.
In light of the above, we do not find anything to suggest that it was maladministration by Europe Direct not to reply to your recent queries. The Ombudsman has therefore closed the case.[1]
Yours sincerely,
Tina Nilsson
Head of Inquiries - Unit 4
Strasbourg, 11/02/2020
[1] Full information on the procedure and rights pertaining to complaints can be found at https://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/document/70707.