Around two thirds of the complaints the European Ombudsman, , Mr Jacob SÖDERMAN, has received since 1995 fall outside his mandate, mostly because they concern the activities of the national authorities. For European citizens it is not always evident which supervisory body to address when they feel badly treated by authorities.
Therefore, to guarantee that there is always a competent body to deal with complaints from citizens relating to Community law, be it on the European or national level, a close cooperation between the European Ombudsman and European national Ombudsmen and similar bodies was initiated in 1996.
In 1998, 5 queries from the national Ombudsmen were dealt with by the European Ombudsman and the latter in turn advised 259 complainants to address a national colleague of his.
In addition to the cooperation in dealing with complaints, the European Ombudsmen arrange meetings and seminars to discuss professional matters and share experiences. The next seminar of all Ombudsmen of the European Union will be held in Paris on 9-11 September 1999.
The European Ombudsmen have also created an efficient liaison network. To facilitate everyday contacts, the offices are linked by use of the Internet.
Note for editors:
The ombudsman institution dates back to 1809 when Sweden elected the first ombudsman in the world. Today, there are ombudsmen in 80 countries, including 27 European counties. Of the Member States of the European Union, 12 have a national Ombudsman to oversee that the national authorities comply with law, the newest-comers being Belgium and Greece.
Since 1995, the European Union also has an Ombudsman, his duty being to investigate maladministration in the activities of the Union institutions. Mr Jacob SÖDERMAN, former Parliamentary Ombudsman of Finland, was elected the first European Ombudsman. The mandate of the European Ombudsman is 5 years. The Ombudsman can be re-elected.
Any citizen of the Union or anyone residing in a Member State can refer a complaint to him. Businesses, associations and other bodies with a registered office in the Union may also complain to him. The Ombudsman examines every complaint and informs the complainant of the outcome of her or his complaint.
In cases of maladministration the Ombudsman tries to find a friendly solution which puts right the situation and satisfies the complainant. If the attempt at conciliation fails, he can make recommendations to solve the problem or give a critical remark to the institution concerned. Finally, he can make a report about the case to the European Parliament.
For further information, please contact Mr Olivier VERHEECKE, Lawyer at the office of the European Ombudsman, tel. +33 388 17 53 46