EU Ombudsman

The European Parliament today voted to elect a new EU Ombudsman (1) for 2013-2018.  Having come joint first in the first round of voting on Tuesday, independent candidate Ms O'Reilly was today overwhelmingly endorsed by MEPs to be the next EU Ombudsman. Ms O'Reilly won out of a field of candidates that included MEPs from several of the European Parliament's own political groups. The Greens/EFA group had supported Ms O'Reilly's candidature and welcomes this result.

Commenting on the vote, Greens/EFA Co-President Rebecca Harms stated: 

"Our sincerest congratulations go out to Emily O'Reilly on her election today. Ms. O'Reilly was an excellent candidate for the position and I am particularly pleased that this rôle will for the first time be carried out by a woman."

Greens/EFA Co-President Dany Cohn-Bendit said: 

"It is disappointing that other political groups tried to turn this office into yet another political position up for grabs in the horse-trading between groups. Citizens are best served by an apolitical Ombudsman. We regret that this view wasn't shared by all MEPs. In the end, an excellent candidate, Ms. O'Reilly, won and that is what is most important for citizens."

(1) The European Ombudsman is an independent and impartial body that holds the EU administration to account, conducting investigations into complaints about maladministration in EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies based on fundamental rights, legal rules or principles and the principles of good administration. The European Parliament elects the Ombudsman for a renewable five-year term, and Ms O'Reilly will start her mandate on 1 October 2013, succeeding Nikiforos Diamandouros.