Brussels, 03/09/2001 (Agence Europe) - On 6 September, the European Parliament will be holding a debate during its plenary session in Strasbourg on the report by British Conservative Roy Perry. The latter calls on the European Commission to present a proposal for the Code of Good Administrative Behaviour of officials in their relations with the public.
The report, adopted by the petitions committee, is largely based on the proposal for a code of good conduct presented in April 2000 by the Ombudsman. It insists, however, on certain aspects: - the code must apply to all Community institutions (including Community bodies and agencies); - it must be anchored in primary Community law and take the Charter of Fundamental Rights into account; - it must offer an official who has committed an error the possibility to "offer his apologies and to repair in an appropriate way the damage caused". We recall that the proposal of the Ombudsman is presented in the form of a list of 28 articles that define a certain number of principles that the European official must respect in his relations with the public, namely and above all: equal treatment towards all citizens, impartiality, independence, protection of private data and absence of abuse of power.
The rapporteur also calls for any request to be made by registered mail, within two weeks at most, and for each decision relating to a request to be taken within two months (after the date when the request is received). It must also be accompanied by an indication of the possible avenues of appeal. Any request presented in a Union language should receive a response in the same language. Two years after it takes effect, the norms thus defined should be the subject of review in the light of experience gained.
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