European Ombudsman handles massive complaints in past decade

The European Ombudsman, the investigator of maladministration in EU institutions, handled more than 30,000 complaints and opened nearly 3,500 cases in the past decade, the current Ombudsman P. Nikiforos Diamandouros said here on Monday. Diamandouros, who took office in 2003, said he opened a record number of 465 cases last year, most of which concerned lack of transparency, including refusal to release documents or information, and 56 of which were found maladministration. "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," he said while presenting the latest annual report in Brussels. Most complaints came from Belgium, Italy, Spain and Germany, concerning administration issues of the European Commission, the European Personnel Selection Office, and the European Parliament, among other institutions. Any EU citizen, resident or an enterprise or association in an EU member state, may submit a complaint about maladministration in EU institutions with the Ombudsman. The mechanism was established by the Maastricht treaty in 1992.