The European Ombudsman, Mr Jacob Söderman, today welcomed the European Commission's decision to follow his recommendation and give candidates access to their own marked examination scripts from 1 July 2000.
Following an own-initiative inquiry by the Ombudsman, the Commission had accepted three out of the Ombudsman's four proposals regarding examination procedures. However, the Commission was unwilling to accept that a candidate should be able to see his or her own marked examination script.
The Ombudsman therefore sent a special report to the European Parliament on 18 October 1999. The special report included a formal recommendation that in future recruitment competitions, the Commission should give candidates access to their own marked examination scripts on request.
On 7 December 1999, the President of the European Commission, Mr Romano Prodi, wrote to Mr Söderman to inform him that:

"The Commission welcomes the recommendations you made in this report and will propose the necessary legal and organisational arrangements to give candidates access to their own marked examination papers, upon request, from 1 July 2000 onwards."

Mr Söderman welcomed the Commission's decision, which he sees as an important step towards achieving transparency in the EU's recruitment procedures:

"By having access to their marked examination scripts, citizens will in future be able to know that their written examinations have been fairly assessed and that the result obtained reflects their performance. As this change involves many practical arrangements, the transition period seems sensible. All those who would like to apply to work for the European Union will welcome Commission President Prodi's response. I hope that this positive example will be followed by the other EU institutions and bodies."

For further information, please call Gerhard GRILL, principal legal officer, tel. + 33 (0)3 88 17 24 23.