The EO express brings you an overview of the European Ombudsman’s recent activities, including inquiry openings, key findings, speeches, and events. Subscribe here if you want to get the EO express - published a few times a year - in your mailbox.

Ombudswoman opens inquiry into transparency of Commission’s ‘reality checks’ with stakeholders

The Ombudswoman has opened an inquiry to examine how the Commission ensures that its ‘reality checks’ meetings with stakeholders follow transparency requirements for decision-making. Reality checks are a new consultation tool under which the Commission seeks information directly from stakeholders it has itself identified to learn about any hurdles they face when implementing EU rules. As a first step in the inquiry, the Ombudswoman has set out a series of questions to the Commission.  

Urgent decision-making procedures need further monitoring, says Ombudswoman

The Ombudswoman has concluded that the Commission’s response to her findings related to the preparation of urgent legislative proposals is overall constructive,  but remains too general to determine whether future urgent law-making will be sufficiently transparent, evidence-based, and inclusive. She plans to therefore continue to monitor the situation through future complaints. The Ombudswoman had previously found a number of procedural shortcomings in how the Commission prepared fast-track legislative proposals concerning corporate sustainability due diligence, the Common Agricultural Policy, and countering migrant smuggling.

EU Asylum Agency asked to improve reporting of fundamental rights violations

The Ombudswoman has found several instances of maladministration in how the EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA) supports Greek authorities in processing asylum applications. These included failing to ensure that its caseworkers were sufficiently trained to conduct interviews with vulnerable asylum seekers. In addition to implementing certain improvements such as training for caseworkers, the Ombudswoman asked the EUAA to  ensure that any alleged breaches of asylum seekers’ fundamental rights by a Member State be notified to the Commission, including reports of pushbacks.

Commission asked to retain text messages sent by heads of state and government

The Ombudswoman has asked the Commission to retain all text messages between national leaders and European Commissioners, as well as any document that is subject to an access to documents request. She has also recommended that the Commission improve how it deals with public access requests involving the Cabinet of its President or of any Commissioner. The Ombudswoman’s proposals follow an inquiry that found maladministration in the Commission’s handling of an access request for a text message its President received from the President of France.

Inquiry opened into how Commission ensures reliability of EU food safety alert system

The Ombudswoman has opened an own-initiative inquiry into how the Commission ensures the protection of consumers from food-related hazards through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). The inquiry follows concerns raised by stakeholders about potential delays in the transmission of some alerts regarding a food safety problem as well as the transparency and quality of data available to citizens. In parallel, national Ombudsmen across Europe have been invited to inquire into the functioning of the RASFF with their national authorities as a close link between the actions of the Commission and national authorities concerning the alert system is key to ensuring its efficiency.

Ombudswoman issues good practice guidelines for handling revolving door cases

Following an own initiative inquiry examining how EU agencies handle revolving door cases, the Ombudswoman has drawn up a set of good practice guidelines to further strengthen their approach to the issue. The guidelines, which were inspired by several incidences of good practices identified in individual agencies, include having transparent criteria for restricting post-service roles, reacting swiftly when a move to the private sector has been signalled by a staff member, and responding promptly to breaches in post-service conditions.

Ombudswoman regrets Commission’s handling of access request for X’s assessment of its compliance with EU digital rules

The Ombudswoman maintained her finding of maladministration after the Commission failed to follow her recommendation to assess for disclosure a report by social media platform X on its compliance with EU digital rules. In her decision concluding the inquiry, the Ombudswoman noted her disagreement with the Commission’s argument that a general presumption of non-disclosure could be applied to risk assessment reports drawn up under the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Commission responds to Croatian Ombudswoman query concerning Croatian students’ access to health insurance when studying abroad

Following the European Commission’s answer to a query by the Croatian Ombudsman’s Office, there is more clarity about Croatian students’ right to access national health insurance when studying in another Member State. Via its query platform, the European Ombudsman can help national ombudsmen receive a response from the EU administration to questions about EU law that arise during their work.

Slovenian Ombudswoman launches inquiry into implementation of EU environmental law

Ombudswoman Anjinho attended the launch of a parallel inquiry by Slovenian Ombudswoman Dr Simona Drenik Bavdek to gather ombudsman input from around Europe on how Member States are implementing EU environmental laws. Parallel inquiries can harness the collective power of national and regional offices within the European Network of Ombudsmen (ENO) to investigate issues that citizens across the EU care strongly about.

Game designed to help children learn how to stay safe online wins Award for Good Administration

Europol has won the 2026 European Ombudsman Award for Good Administration for ‘Cyber Defenders’ – a game designed to help children learn how to stay safe online. The Award for Good Administration recognises actions by the EU’s institutions, bodies, offices, and agencies that have had a visible and positive impact on the lives of citizens. Alongside the overall winner, prizes in four categories were also awarded, as was a public vote winner.

European Ombudsman annual report for 2025

The European Ombudsman’s annual report for 2025 shows a steep rise (54%) in the number of complaints handled by the office, as well as a 19% rise in the number of inquiries opened compared to the previous year. The biggest proportion of inquiries in 2025 continued to concern transparency and accountability issues (38%). This was followed by complaints related to a culture of service (such as failures to reply), and then those related to the proper management of infringement procedures.

Transparency is a fundamental right, Ombudswoman says at Forum Europa event

In a speech to the New Economy Forum’s ‘Forum Europa: Ideas to Strengthen the Union’, the Ombudswoman stressed the importance of recognising transparency as a fundamental right. The Ombudswoman used the speech to outline the broad challenges to transparency within the EU administration, such as delays in handling access to documents requests and the improper use of exceptions. She called for a culture of proactive transparency, the provision of sufficient financial and human resources in the EU administration to meet transparency obligations, and for a revision of the EU’s current regulation on access to documents.

Ombudswoman addresses Conference of Ombudsmen on Civic Protection, Rights, and Democratic Innovation

“Hope, as this city reminds us, is not passive. It is built — stone by stone, case by case, reform by reform. Every time an ombudsman answers the complaint of someone who believed they had nowhere else to turn. Every time we work across borders to uphold accountability and protect rights. Every time we choose cooperation over isolation. Let us continue to build that hope — together.” - Ombudswoman Anjinho speaking to the Conference of Ombudsmen on Civic Protection, Rights, and Democratic Innovation in Rome, Italy.