The Ombudsman has opened an own-initiative inquiry into how the European Commission applies rules meant to ensure transparency and stakeholder participation when it comes to the nearly 1100 expert groups that provide it with specialised advice in a variety of policy areas.

While the Commission revised its rules on the creation and operation of expert groups in 2016 following a previous Ombudsman inquiry, civil society and academics have raised concerns about how the Commission applies the new rules. The Ombudsman’s public consultation on transparency and participation in EU decision-making related to the environment also indicated potential issues with the application of the rules.

As a first step in the inquiry, the Ombudsman sent a series of questions to the Commission. They focus on issues such as how the Commission ensures public information about expert groups is meaningful and up-to-date and if the Commission would consider streamlining access to information (e.g. by creating a single searchable portal for expert group documents). The Ombudsman also asked the Commission about how individual expert groups decide whether their deliberations should be public and what incentives it provides to encourage further openness around expert group activities.

The Ombudsman has asked the Commission to reply by 15 October 2024.