An apology should a) recognise the existence of an error, b) apologise for the error and any possible inconvenience or damage that it may have caused, and c) where possible, explain the steps that the public authority is taking to correct the error and to avoid similar errors from reoccurring again.

The Ombudsman underlines that an apology does not constitute in itself proof that damage exists as a result of an error. The fact of whether damage did (or did not) result from an error requires a separate analysis, in the first place by the institution concerned and, eventually, by the Court or the Ombudsman.