The European Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly, regrets that the Governing Council of the European Central Bank (ECB) has blocked disclosure of a letter the ECB's then President, Jean-Claude Trichet, wrote to the Irish Finance Minister in November 2010. This follows a complaint from an Irish journalist, who had asked for access to the letter. The letter, sent at the height of the financial crisis, called on the Irish government to take swift action to protect the stability of the Irish financial system.