Strategic initiatives
The Ombudsman can address potential systemic problems with the EU’s administration without necessarily opening an inquiry, such as by seeking clarifications about or raising an issue directly with the institution concerned.
Showing 1 - 10 of 46 results
Ombudsman holds public consultation on transparency in EU environmental decision making
Strategic Initiative SI/5/2022/KR - Latest document added: Correspondence - Thursday | 11 May 2023
The Ombudsman has launched a public consultation to assess the transparency and public participation in EU environmental decision making. The aim is to evaluate whether citizens have access to up-to-date information in an area of high public interest. The consultation is available in all 24 of the EU’s official languages and runs until 15/12/2022. Find more background information on this issue her...
How the European Commission ensures that there are no conflicts of interest with external experts involved in evaluating project proposals under the European Defence Fund
Strategic Initiative SI/6/2022/KR - Latest document added: Correspondence - Friday | 05 May 2023
The Ombudsman opened an initiative to look into how the European Commission ensures that external experts involved evaluating project proposals under the European Defence Fund do not evaluate, advise or assist on matters that could give rise to conflicts of interest. According to the applicable legislation, the Commission should have a system in place to this end. The Ombudsman wrote to the Commis...
Improving the European Parliament’s ethics and transparency framework
Strategic Initiative SI/1/2023/MIK - Latest document added: Correspondence - Monday | 24 April 2023
In response to allegations of corruption by current and former members of the European Parliament, the Parliament's President set out draft proposals to improve the oversight and enforcement of the Parliament’s ethics rules. Following this, the European Ombudsman wrote to the Parliament's president, welcoming her initiative and sharing some observations on how to further improve the Parliaments et...
The information provided by the European Commission to unsuccessful applicants in the context of public procurement and grant procedures
Strategic Initiative SI/1/2022/LM - Latest document added: Correspondence - Monday | 17 April 2023
The Ombudsman wrote to the European Commission to draw attention to the information it provides to unsuccessful applicants in the context of public procurement and grant procedures. In particular, the Ombudsman is seeking to draw the Commission's attention to the need to provide accurate information on how unsuccessful applicants can appeal or seek redress, to avoid creating false expectations and...
How the European Commission deals with the provision by third parties of travel expenses and hospitality in the context of business trips
Strategic Initiative SI/2/2023/KR - Latest document added: Case description - Monday | 06 March 2023
Following revelations that the travel expenses of director-general at the European Commission were covered by a non-EU government and its national airline, in the context of business trips ('missions') to that country, the Ombudsman wrote to the Commission to clarify certain matters. In particular, the initiative is seeking to clarify the extent of the practice, how the Commission deals with such ...
How the EU Asylum Agency complies with its fundamental rights obligations and ensures accountability for potential fundamental rights violations
Strategic Initiative SI/4/2022/MHZ - Latest document added: Correspondence - Monday | 27 February 2023
The Ombudsman launched an initiative to look into how the European Union Asylum Agency complies with its fundamental rights obligations and ensures accountability for potential fundamental rights violations. The Asylum Agency replaced the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) in January 2022, taking on expanded mandate, as set out in its founding regulation. In the context of this new mandate, the...
How the Council of the EU ensures transparency of the decision making concerning sanctions against Russia
Strategic Initiative SI/3/2022/LDS - Latest document added: Correspondence - Friday | 17 February 2023
The Ombudsman carried out an initiative looking into the transparency of the decision making by the Council of the EU concerning sanctions in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In this context, the Ombudsman sent a letter to the Council asking it to consider whether there are any additional documents which could be made proactively available to the public. The Council replied that, due t...
How the European Commission ensures respect for human rights in the context of international trade agreements
Strategic Initiative SI/5/2021/VS - Latest document added: Correspondence - Wednesday | 08 February 2023
The Ombudsman carried out an initiative to assess how the European Commission ensures respect for human rights in the context of EU trade policy. The initiative aims to examine the use of so-called ‘human rights clauses’ in international trade agreements signed by the EU, as well as to look at how human rights are dealt with once trade agreements have entered into force. Based on the findings over...
How the European Commission ensures transparency and balanced interest representation under the Common Agricultural Policy
Strategic Initiative SI/2/2022/LDS - Latest document added: Correspondence - Friday | 09 December 2022
In the context of reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), concerns have been raised about the influence of certain interest groups and the transparency of how the CAP is implemented. With a view to assessing how the European Commission was planning to address in the implementation of the new CAP rules from 2023 on, the Ombudsman carried out a strategic initiative. In particular, the i...
The transparency and accountability of the Recovery and Resilience Facility
Strategic Initiative SI/6/2021/PVV - Latest document added: Correspondence - Friday | 07 October 2022
The Ombudsman has opened an initiative into transparency and accountability in the implementation of the EU's Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). The Ombudsman has written to the European Commission and asked it to reply to a set of questions concerning the transparency and accountability mechanism it has put in place in the context of the RRF.