European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly welcomes the Parliament’s approval (602 votes out of the 692 cast) of a strengthened legal framework for her Office.

The revised statute strengthens the legal base of the Ombudsman and introduces new safeguards to further guarantee its independence, including an adequate budget to support the Office’s activities.

“A strong, well-resourced and independent Ombudsman is essential for maintaining high ethics and accountability standards in the EU administration. I thank all those involved for their work on this new legislation and welcome the agreement across party lines and across EU institutions.”

“I see the new statute as a validation of our Office’s work over recent years in handling complaints, conducting proactive inquiries and keeping the EU institutions at the forefront of excellent public administration. This revision codifies many of the Office’s current working practices,” said Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly.<