How does the Ombudsman get results?
| Author | The European Ombudsman |
| Pages | 22-30 |
Page 23
As the institution dealing with complaints about maladministration, it is critical that the Ombudsman handles these complaints in the most effective and timely way. To ensure that he gives the best possible service, the Ombudsman has formed good working relations with other important institutional actors, including the EU institutions and his ombudsman colleagues in the Member States.
And of course, to make use of the Ombudsman's service, you - as a European citizen - must be well informed about what he can do for you. The Ombudsman devotes considerable time and energy to raising awareness about his work all over the Union.
Even though the Ombudsman investigates complaints about the EU institutions, he enjoys positive working relations with them. The institutions have always cooperated in a constructive way to resolve problems that he brings to their attention. Fruitful relations are maintained through regular meetings and written correspondence.
Each year, the Ombudsman presents a report to the European Parliament on the outcome of his inquiries. The Ombudsman can send a special report to the Parliament when an institution fails to follow his recommendations to solve a complaint. The Committee on Petitions of the Parliament is responsible for drafting reports on the Ombudsman's work. These reports are then debated and adopted in plenary.
To date, the Ombudsman has sent six special reports to the Parliament on issues ranging from sex discrimination to transparency.
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By meeting with EU officials, the Ombudsman can draw attention to shortcomings in how the institutions work. These meetings also enable officials to highlight problems they encounter in resolving complaints brought to them by the Ombudsman.
In September 2001, staff from the Ombudsman's office met with officials from the European Commission's Directorate for Resources in Ispra. The institutions discussed changes to the working procedures in Ispra to respond to criticism about how the Directorate was functioning.
The Ombudsman writes to his colleagues in the other institutions to draw their attention to important developments and topical issues. These letters are published on his web site.
In March 2002, the Ombudsman sent the European code of good administrative behaviour to the heads of all EU institutions and bodies, calling on them to adopt the code.
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When citizens have a problem with Community law, they often turn to the European Ombudsman. But it is usually the national, regional and local administrations that are responsible for implementing this law. As the European Ombudsman can not investigate complaints at these levels, it is vital to find someone who can.
That someone is often a national or regional ombudsman or committee on petitions in the Member States.
Twelve EU Member States have national ombudsmen, while two offer the right to petition at the national level. Six Member States have regional ombudsmen or petitions committees.
Regular seminars take place at both national and regional level to discuss Community law and to reinforce cooperation within the family of ombudsmen. The European Ombudsman has been instrumental in helping to plan and organise these meetings. To strengthen relations and deepen cooperation, the European Ombudsman regularly visits national and regional ombudsmen throughout the EU.
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In 1996, the European Ombudsman set up a liaison network among the national ombudsmen and similar bodies in the Member States.
The network allows for complaints to be transferred to the body best able to deal with them. This helps safeguard the rights of European citizens and means that complaints are handled efficiently.
Each year, the European Ombudsman transfers around 35 % of the complaints that he cannot deal with to national ombudsmen and similar bodies.
A smooth flow of information about Community law is facilitated, ensuring that the network's members are kept up-to-date on the latest developments.
* a newsletter through which members exchange experience and best practice;
* a web site and an Internet summit that promote interactive discussions and allow documents to be shared. In 2001, a virtual newspaper was created, entitled 'Ombudsman Daily News';
* seminars that are organised to further knowledge about Community law and to reinforce cooperation.
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Informing 350 million citizens in 15 Member States and in 12 Treaty languages about the right to complain is no easy task! But the Ombudsman has worked hard to raise awareness about his work. Whether meeting the media, speaking at seminars or visiting the Member States, the Ombudsman is committed to ensuring that you know what he can do for you.
The Ombudsman regularly has interviews with the media. He issues press releases to signal important decisions that have been taken. Press conferences and dinners are held to present the Ombudsman's annual report, giving an opportunity for questions and answers about his work.
The Ombudsman and his staff take part in seminars, conferences and meetings to inform about the right to complain and the results that have been achieved.
In March 2001, the Ombudsman gave a keynote speech 'The struggle for openness in the European Union' at a conference organised by the European Citizens Action Service in Brussels. The conference was attended by NGOs, local authority representatives, law firms and media experts.
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To ensure you are properly informed about the work of the Ombudsman, it is important for us to know where you get your information from. In the Member States, the offices of the European Commission and the Parliament are often the first port of call when you want to know more about the EU. The Ombudsman ensures that these offices are well equipped with his information material and that their web sites are linked to his. All EU info-centres also hold material about the Ombudsman.
Our information material includes a brochure entitled The European Ombudsman - Could he help you? (in the 12 Treaty languages), the Ombudsman's annual report and the European code of good administrative behaviour (both in the 11 official EU languages).
The Ombudsman has developed close relations with the offices of MEPs, in light of their frequent contact with citizens.
The Ombudsman's office participates in the yearly Open Days organised by the EU institutions. Staff from the office are there to answer questions and distribute material describing the Ombudsman's work.
To present his work directly to you, the Ombudsman makes official visits to the Member States.
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The Ombudsman's web site caters for people with widely varying interests - from citizens who want to complain, to students researching for theses, to journalists looking for the latest press release. Constantly updated and available in 11 languages, it is a key tool for spreading the word about the Ombudsman.
The web site includes information about how to complain, a complaint form and contact information. It links to all web sites that might be of interest to citizens looking for information on Community law.
Complaints submitted over the Internet now make up over a third of all complaints received by the Ombudsman. This compares to a little under a quarter in 2000 and just a sixth in 1999. The most staggering growth has been in the number of requests for information received by e-mail. This doubled between 2000 and 2001 to reach over 2 335 requests.
Information of interest to journalists on the web site includes all press releases, speeches and statistics and a regularly updated calendar on the Ombudsman's activities.
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Documents of interest to researchers include the Ombudsman's decisions and recommendations, reports and a complete bibliography that lists theses, books and articles about the Ombudsman.
Links to all national and regional ombudsmen and similar bodies in the Member States can be found on the web site.
In 2001, an e-mail campaign was initiated in 11 languages to inform citizens of their right to complain to the European Ombudsman. Over 2 000 e-mails were sent to interested recipients, with a request that they in turn send the e-mail on to people who might find it of interest. In this way, the e-mail reached a wide range of people who follow EU affairs and who could have a complaint to make to the Ombudsman.
