Strasbourg, 24/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 23 October, the European Parliament, in adopting the report by Dushana Zdravkova (EPP-ED, Bulgaria) by the overwhelming majority of 465 votes to 1, with 7 abstentions, expressed its satisfaction with the work of the European Ombudsman.
After approving the 2007 annual report presented by Ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros, Parliament called on all EU institutions and bodies to be granted the budgetary and human resources needed to ensure that citizens receive swift and appropriate responses to their requests, complaints or petitions. It said that the Ombudsman continued to exercise his powers in an active and balanced manner, both in terms of investigating and dealing with complaints, conducting and concluding investigations and maintaining constructive relations with European, Union institutions and bodies and encouraging citizens to make use of their rights with regard to these institutions and bodies.
Parliament felt that “the term 'maladministration' should be broadly interpreted so as to include not only administrative acts which infringe rules or principles laid down by the Treaties or by secondary legislation but also, for example, cases where the administrative authorities themselves have assumed certain obligations through, for instance, the adoption of a code of good administrative behaviour or where approved policies or declarations of a political nature have given rise to legitimate and reasonable expectations among citizens”. It repeated its call, made in previous resolutions, for all EU institutions and bodies to adopt a common approach with regard to the Code of Good Administrative Behaviour. Lastly, Parliament noted the increase in the number of complaints received, but felt that the percentage of admissible complaints - 16% - was still not satisfactory. It recommended, therefore, that a broader information campaign be launched to increase European citizens' knowledge of the function and responsibilities of the European Ombudsman. (O.J./transl.rt)