1. The European Ombudsman Jaroslaw Saternus

2. The European Ombudsman The position of European Ombudsman was created by the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht, 1992) The Ombudsman is elected by the European Parliament for a renewable term of five years Since April 2003 The European Ombudsman is Nikiforos Diamandouros

3. The European Ombudsman What does the Ombudsman do: He helps to uncover ‘maladministration’ in the European Union institutions and bodies. Some examples: unfairness discrimination abuse of power lack or refusal of information unnecessary delay incorrect procedures

4. The European Ombudsman The Ombudsman’s key areas of activity:

5. The European Ombudsman Who can complain to the Ombudsman? Citizen of a Member State of the European Union People living in a Member State Businesses, associations or other bodies with a registered office in the Union can also complain.

6. The European Ombudsman The Ombudsman investigates complaints against: The European Commission The Council of the European Union The European Parliament The Court of Auditors The Court of Justice (except in its judicial role) The European Economic and Social Committee The Committee of the Regions The European Central Bank The European Investment Bank Europol Any other Community Body

7. The European Ombudsman What can we achieve by complaining? The institution tries to resolve the problem by itself. This is called settled by the institution. The Ombudsman tries to find a friendly solution He can make a draft recommendation to the institution, calling on it to take the necessary steps to put the maladministration right. He can make a special report to the European Parliament.

8. The European Ombudsman So, how can we complain? You can write to the Ombudsman in any of the 12 Treaty languages of the Union, setting out clearly who you are, which institution or body of the European Community you are complaining about and the grounds for your complaint. You can lodge your complaint by mail, fax or e-mail. To ensure that you provide all the necessary information, you may prefer to fill out a complaint form. You can get one from the Ombudsman’s office or download one from his web site at:

9. The European Ombudsman Thank you for your attention