Maastricht, 27/08/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) of Maastricht has decided to award the Alexis de Tocqueville Prize 2001 to the European Ombudsman Jacob Soderman. The Scientific Board and the Board of Administration of the EIPA chose Mr. Soderman for his work in the field of access to documents and for his efforts at strengthening transparency in the functioning of the institutions of the European Union, says a press release. In his role as European Ombudsman since 1995, Soderman has contributed to the promotion of citizens' rights within the European public administration. He has striven to have the EU's administration better known and his reports have been an important element of European administrative science, the EIPA further observes.
Mr. Soderman will be the eighth person to receive this award which in 1997 and 1999 went to the Italian Professor Sabino Cassese and Spanish Professor Eduardo Garcia de Enterria in recognition of their work in the field of public and administrative law. In 1989, Otto von der Gablentz received the award for his contribution to the modernisation of the functioning of the diplomatic corps in the framework of bilateral relations between Member States and the European Community. Lord Rayner was the first to receive the award in 1988 for his key role in modernising the central government and the civil service in the United Kingdom.
The prize will be handed over in Maastricht on 21 November in the framework of events organised for the 20th anniversary of the EIPA.