EU 'still not citizen-centred'

EU institutions have “some way to go” before they can be considered truly “citizen-friendly,” according to the European ombudsman.

Presenting his annual report on Thursday, the Strasbourg-based Nikiforos Diamandouros said he received 3830 complaints from EU citizens, companies, NGOs and associations in 2006.

Speaking at the European parliament, he said this was close to the record high levels of the previous two years.

During the year he was forced to make 'critical remarks' against EU institutions and bodies in 41 cases, something he says gives “cause for concern”.

One quarter of the 582 inquiries he carried out in 2006 concerned lack of transparency in the EU administration, including refusal of information.

Among the types of alleged maladministration were unfairness, payment delays in EU projects, abuse of power and discrimination.

Most of these – two-thirds – concerned the commission (66 per cent), followed by the European personnel selection office (13 per cent), parliament (8 per cent) and the council (2 per cent).

The report says Spain produced the greatest number of complaints (20 per cent), followed by Germany - where the number of complaints rose by 30 per cent on the previous 12 months then France and Belgium.

At a news conference, Diamandouros voiced particular concern about the rising number of critical remarks he had to make in the year.

“The way in which the public administration reacts to complaints is a key measure of how citizen-centred it is and how well it contributes to the promotion of a service culture,” he said.

His investigations in 2006 included one where he said the commission had produced “inaccurate and misleading” information in leaflets on airline passenger rights.

In another case, the ombudsman issued another critical remark against the commission for its refusal to grant access to documents it had submitted to the WTO about the safety of GM food.

He also announced a study on how the EU administration is following up on his critical remarks.

For the first time, the report highlights cases of best practices in EU institutions, including instances where they settled bills, paid interest and released documents.

• Previous article
• Next article