BackThe European Ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, dealt with more than 30 000 complaints and opened almost 3 500 investigations into alleged maladministration in the EU administration during his ten years in office.
In 2012 alone, he received 2 442 complaints (2510 in 2011) and opened a record number of 465 inquiries (396 in 2011). Most of the 2012 inquiries were about lack of transparency (21.5%), including refusal to release documents or information. Other cases concerned problems with the execution of EU contracts or calls for tender, conflicts of interest, unfairness, delays, and discrimination.
At the presentation of his Annual Report 2012 in Brussels, Mr Diamandouros said: "In the past ten years, the EU administration has become a lot more transparent, citizen-friendly, and service-minded. The independent and impartial work of the Ombudsman has hopefully contributed to this notable progress in the administrative culture of the EU civil service. As I never tire of saying, however, there is always room for improvement, especially when it comes to enhancing the capacity of the EU institutions and bodies to be proactive in promoting a culture of service towards citizens."
The Ombudsman's Overview 2012 (in 24 languages) and the full Annual Report (currently available in English, with 23 other language versions to follow in July) are available on the website of the European Ombudsman.
Source: European Ombudman
