Brussels, 15/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - European Ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros announced on Tuesday 15 March that he had started to publish information on line about the inquiries he opens. The subject matter of the complaint, as well as the complainant's allegations and claims will be published on the Ombudsman's website - http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu.en/cases/casesopened.faces - usually one week after the Ombudsman asks the institution concerned for information.
One of the first cases to which the new policy applies is a complaint by an Irish environmental consultancy, which alleges that the European Commission failed to inform it about the status of its infringement complaints against the Irish authorities. The Ombudsman has asked the Commission to submit its opinion by 31 May 2011. The complainant will then have the opportunity to comment before the Ombudsman decides on the next step.
On average, the Ombudsman receives 3,000 complaints per year, of which around 700 are within his mandate. (L.C./transl.rt)