Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-11-18-Speech-4-015"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20041118.4.4-015"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, the 2003 annual report submitted by the European Ombudsman to the President of the European Parliament and presented to the Committee on Petitions deserves to be approved by all of us in keeping both with Mr De Rossa's report and the relevant resolution.
However, our duties do not end with approving the annual report. We all need to take note of its basic conclusions and bear them in mind for further action.
We need to take account of the information given and to call for the lack of open character and absence of transparency in the operation of the European institutions to be addressed.
The fact that 75% of complaints do not come within the scope of the European Ombudsman does not reflect badly on the institution, because these complaints were referred to other agencies. However, what is important for us is the analysis of the 25% of complaints accepted, two-thirds of which relate to the European Commission, in other words, the Community institution which takes decisions which impact on citizens. Complaints were, of course, also made about the European Parliament and the Council, but for services such as the Personnel Selection Office.
One might, however, say that, even if we take account of the 40% increase in the number of complaints which Mr Diamandouros announced in 2004, few of the 425 million European citizens took recourse to the European Ombudsman, an institution which has already been up and running for ten years and which has been served with acknowledged success and strengthened by the presence of both the first Ombudsman, Mr Söderman, and his current successor, Nikiforos Diamandouros.
As the elected representatives of European citizens, however, we cannot permit that even one citizen should not enjoy the provisions of Articles 41, 42 and 43 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which now forms part of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, as approved by the Council. It may not recognise extrajudicial remedies, but if, in accordance with Article 1(2) of the new Constitution, decisions must be taken both as openly and closely to citizens as possible, the role of the European Ombudsman and of the administrative Commissioners is a guarantee of honest administration, the rule of law and respect for human rights.
Nor must we forget that our obligations to reinforce the efficiency of the institution must be implemented and we welcome the Commissioner's statements.
Finally, I would emphasise that it is to the credit of the European Ombudsman that he is conducting five own initiative investigations, the most exemplary being into the abolition of discrimination against the disabled on the part of European institutions.
As vice-chairman of the Committee on Petitions, I should also like to express thanks for the proper and mutual transmission of cases, for the benefit of European citizens."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples