EU Ombudsman candidates call for ‘higher profile’

Date: 28/11/02

By Martin Banks

CANDIDATES bidding to become the next European Ombudsman this week called for the role to be given a higher public profile.

Speaking before the European Parliament's petitions committee on Monday, the seven candidates seeking to replace Finn Jacob Söderman largely agreed that the role lacks public awareness.

Herman Wuyts, one of two federal ombudsmen in Belgium, said a publicity campaign and a 'greater presence' in popular media might help promote the office.

The youngest candidate, 42-year-old Pierre-Yves Monette, Belgium's Francophone ombudsman, believed his age should count in his favour.

Monette, a lawyer and former secretary to the king of Belgium, claimed it was important the successful candidate was a lawyer: 'Lawyers sometimes get a bad press but I like to think I belong to the category of lawyers who are open-minded.'

Another candidate, Conservative MEP Roy Perry, said his experience should help in making the Parliament and the Ombudsman's office work closer together.

Former MEP Georgios Anastassopoulos feels the Ombudsman should 'fight more' and 'fight harder' to make the institutions work more efficiently while 60-year-old Nikiforos Diamandouros, the national ombudsman in Greece, said he would 'bring academic and practical knowledge of history, politics and culture' to the post.

Xabier Markiegi, regional ombudsman in the Basque region, said his experience of dealing with victims of terrorism would help him: 'The harrowing experience of sharing the pain of the victims has made me especially receptive to people's complaints,' he said.

MEPs will elect Söderman's successor during the Strasbourg plenary session on 16 December. The Finn is due to retire in April.

Candidates bidding to become the next European Ombudsman have called for the role to be given a higher public profile.