Strasbourg, 26/10/2007 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 25 October, the European Parliament adopted the report by Luciana Sbarbati (ALDE, Italy) on the activities of the European Ombudsman in the year 2006. The report stresses that the Ombudsman has continued to carry out his powers in a well-balanced and dynamic way, both for the examination and handling of complaints, and for the outcome and conclusion of his investigations. He has also managed to maintain constructive relations with the institutions and bodies of the EU and increased awareness on the part of the citizens of his role in having their rights recognised. The report calls on the European Personnel Selection Office to ensure that it fully respects consolidated rules and practices on the openness and transparency of recruitment competition procedures, particularly regarding access for candidates to information about them concerning marked tests, and invites the Office to get rid of any linguistic discrimination and not to unburden itself of its responsibilities regarding the decisions of the jury. In general, the MEPs call for the institutions and bodies of Europe to have the budgetary and human resources they need to guarantee that the citizens get rapid and consistent responses to their requests for information, their complaints and petitions. (O.J.)