Until Monday 30 September, no fewer than ten potential candidates are currently trying to obtain the 39 signatures of MEPs needed to become an official candidate for the post of European Ombudsman, to replace Ireland’s Emily O’Reilly, whose term of office expires at the end of 2024.
According to an unofficial list consulted by Agence Europe, they are as follows: - Teresa Anjinho from Portugal, member of the OLAF Supervisory Committee; - Italian Emilio De Capitani, a former European Parliament official working to promote transparency in public life (see EUROPE 12529/31); - Marino Fardelli, Ombudsman for the Lazio region; - Jonas Grimheden from Sweden, former fundamental rights officer at the European agency Frontex (see EUROPE 13171/11); - Estonian Julia Laffranque, former judge at the European Court of Human Rights and unsuccessful candidate against Ms O’Reilly in 2019 (see EUROPE 12393/7); - Claudia Mahler from Austria, UN expert on the rights of the elderly; - Finland’s Tuomas Pöysti, Chancellor of Justice, responsible for verifying the legality of government action; - Jacques Raharinaivo, a French diplomat working for the United Nations in Vienna; - Sweden’s Cecilia Wikström, a former MEP in the Liberal Group and previously a candidate in 2019; - the Dutchman Reinier van Zutphen, Ombudsman of the Netherlands since 2015.
After the signatures have been deposited, MEPs can still change their support. Eligible candidates will be interviewed by the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions at the beginning of December. The simple majority vote of MEPs will take place at a plenary session of the European Parliament in December.
More information: https://aeur.eu/f/dop (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)