Brussels, 12/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 12 November, the European Parliament took the view that the European Ombudsman “has continued to exercise his powers in an active and balanced way, both with regard to examining and handling complaints and conducting and concluding enquiries and with regard to maintaining constructive relations with the European Union's institutions and bodies and encouraging citizens to make use of their rights in relation to those institutions and bodies”. With the adoption of the report by Chrysoula Paliadeli (S-D, Greece) on the annual report relating to the Ombudsman's activities in 2008, the EP invites the European Ombudsman to “continue his effort” to heighten awareness of the work he accomplishes and to promote his activity in an “effective and transparent” way. The EP renews its call to all institutions and bodies of the Union so that they adopt a common approach towards the “code of good administrative conduct”.
With the adoption of an amendment by the Greens/EFA Group, the EP considers it is appropriate to continue giving the notion of “maladministration” a broad interpretation, so as to “include not only infringements of legal rules or general principles of European administrative law, such as objectivity, proportionality and equality, non-discrimination, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms but also instances where an institution fails to act consistently and in good faith, or to take into account legitimate expectations of citizens, including when an institution has itself undertaken to respect certain norms and standards without being obliged to do so by the Treaties or secondary legislation”.