Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-04-21-Speech-1-218"
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"en.20080421.20.1-218"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, Mr Diamandouros, ladies and gentlemen, first I wish to thank all parties for their excellent levels of cooperation whilst this report was being produced. It was not easy finding a solution that would satisfy everyone, and I understand that some people are still hoping for some changes, but we have achieved a unanimous result in committee. It seems appropriate to move forward from here.
There were four issues relating to the role of Ombudsman. These were access to documents, the testimonials of officials, information on criminal cases, and cooperation in the field of human rights. There was also a fifth issue in the European Ombudsman’s original proposal, his or her power to intervene, but this was contentious and right at the end of the discussion the Ombudsman said that he wanted to withdraw it.
The most important amendment concerns the obligation of the EU institutions and bodies also to grant the Ombudsman access to classified information and sensitive documents, if deemed necessary for the Ombudsman to do his or her job. Up till now the institutions have had the right to refuse to disclose information. This will now be the subject of objective, and no longer subjective or arbitrary, consideration. This is an important, albeit small, step in the right direction.
The institutions supplying classified information or documents to the Ombudsman must inform the Ombudsman of their classified status. Furthermore, for the rules to be implemented, the Ombudsman may agree with the relevant institutions the operational conditions for access to classified information or other information covered by the obligation of professional secrecy.
The role of the European Ombudsman has become more important over the years for the European Union institutions and the citizens of Europe. With the Lisbon Treaty, the Charter of the Fundamental Rights of the European Union will become legally binding, which will make the job of the Ombudsman even more important. In the future we will need to do more to ensure that the Ombudsman has sufficient resources, that his or her Statute reflects the current times, that he or she obtains the information needed and that officials give him or her the right information.
Under the Charter of Fundamental Rights, every person has the right to have his or her affairs handled impartially, fairly and within a reasonable time by the institutions and bodies of the Union. The resources therefore have to be in place so that citizens do not have to wait years for decisions and can also have confidence in the fact that the Ombudsman will be in possession of all the necessary information and that officials will tell him or her what they know instead of what they want to say. Otherwise there is no rule of law, something we are so fond of talking about, even if the EU is not a state as such. We ourselves should also comply with the rule of law; only then can we expect others to."@en1
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