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Read the explanatory note from the Office of the European Ombudsman:
The European Ombudsman - how can he help you?
The European Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration in the institutions and bodies of the European Union (EU). If you are a citizen of a Member State of the Union or living in a Member State, you can complain to the Ombudsman. Businesses, associations or other bodies (NGOs, interest groups, regional offices, etc....) with a registered office in the Union may also turn to him with their problems with the EU administration. Most complaints to the Ombudsman are about lack of transparency, unfairness, abuse of power, procedural errors or avoidable delays. Most are directed against the European Commission, the European Personnel Selection Office, the European Parliament and the Council.
The European Ombudsman offers a fast, flexible and free service to complainants. He may simply need to contact the institution concerned for it to resolve the problem. Another advantage of the Ombudsman's services is the possibility of friendly solutions, which aim to satisfy both sides. Here are some recent examples of how the Ombudsman can help:
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The Commission settled a case of late payment to a German science journalist, explained the reasons for the delay and agreed to pay interest. It confirmed that it had, in the meantime, taken measures to accelerate payments to experts. The complainant subsequently pointed out that he had been paid within only 30 days for his latest contract. (1266/2005/MF)
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The Ombudsman criticised the Council for failing to deal with a request for public access to documents properly and carefully. This followed an inquiry which revealed that, contrary to the Council's initial response to the complainant concerning the number of relevant documents, many additional documents in fact existed. As a result of the Ombudsman's investigation, the complainant was given access to the additional documents. (1875/2005/GG)
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The Commission agreed to pay compensation of EUR 56 000 to a French complainant, the biggest ever compensation payment after the Ombudsman's intervention. This followed his finding that the Commission had failed to respect the complainant's reasonable expectations after it cancelled its financial contribution to the complainant's project. (2111/2002/MF)
It is very important to point out that the European Ombudsman cannot investigate complaints against national or regional authorities in the Member States, even when the complaints are about EU matters.
Complaints can be written in any of the 21 EU Treaty languages and can be sent by mail or e-mail. A complaint form is available to guide complainants. This, and lots of other relevant information, can be found on the Ombudsman's website:
http://www.euro-ombudsman.eu.int
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