Strasbourg, 14/07/2020

Decision of the European Ombudsman on complaints 1141/2020/MIG and 1143/2020/MIG against the European Commission concerning statements by its President and its Vice-President for Democracy and Demography in the run-up to the Croatian elections

Dear Ms Hohlmeier,

Please find enclosed, for your information, a copy of my letter to the European Commission in the above cases.

The complainants in those cases raised concerns about the Commission’s Code of Conduct for its Members. While I concluded that there were no grounds to open an inquiry, I informed the Commission about the legitimate concerns raised and have invited its feedback.

Given that the European Parliament was asked to give its opinion when the current version of the Code was drafted, I consider it important to signal these concerns also to you. I am of course available to provide any further information or to discuss the matter with the Committee.

Yours sincerely,

Emily O'Reilly

European Ombudsman

Enclosure: Letter to the European Commission concerning complaints 1141/2020/MIG and 1143/2002/MIG with enclosures