People’s champion

Date: 26/09/1996

ONE word usually crops up in conversations about the man who became the EU's first Ombudsman a year ago: dour.

“He is a very dour fellow. It is often difficult to tell when he is joking,” says one of Jacob Söderman's political colleagues.

This is not to say that the Ombudsman is a humourless fellow. Those who know him well say it simply reflects his roots.

European Commissioner Erkki Liikanen, who has known Söderman since the two men were Socialist members of the Finnish parliament together in the 1970s, explains: “He has a classic Finnish sense of humour. He never laughs at his own jokes and always looks worried.”

Not that Söderman has all that much to laugh about. Since he was elected to the post of Ombudsman by the European Parliament last July, beating five other candidates in a long-running contest that went to a third ballot, his task has not been an easy one.

But colleagues say he has settled in well into what has, at times, proved a difficult and ill-defined job.

One of the key problems facing Söderman has been his very limited remit. Under the terms of the Maastricht Treaty, the Ombudsman can only deal with cases arising from “maladministration on the part of Community institutions or bodies”.

Any complaints citizens may have, for example, concerning the way EU legislation is applied in member states, fall outside his jurisdiction. These must be dealt with by national ombudsmen or other responsible bodies.

Because of these limitations, Söderman has been forced to reject the vast majority of complaints sent to his office. Of the 537 complaints sent to him in the nine months to June this year, almost 80&percent; were ruled inadmissible.

To his credit, Söderman has made real efforts to point citizens in the right direction when he cannot help them personally.

To this end, he has forged an effective working relationship with the European Parliament's petitions committee, which takes up citizens' complaints on a wide range of EU issues. Where possible, Söderman refers cases he cannot deal with to the committee and takes on petitions presented to the committee which fall within his jurisdiction.

The Ombudsman's handling of his relations with the committee is typical of the cooperative approach this new arrival has adopted towards the often fractious EU political scene.

Before he took office, many warned of the real potential for spectacular rows between the committee and the Ombudsman's office, and the risk of the former claiming the upstart newcomer was treading on their turf.

Instead, the capable Finn forged strong positive links, heading off any possible conflict before it arose. And despite the fact that Söderman could never be described as a party animal - “he is not a song and dance man,” says one political colleague tactfully - he does seem to be genuinely liked.

“He is approachable, democratic-minded and not at all pompous. He is someone anybody could easily talk to,” says Socialist MEP and petitions committee chairman Edward Newman.

Söderman had plenty of experience of his current line of work before moving to his Strasbourg office, after serving as Finland's parliamentary ombudsman and a spell on the board of directors of the International Ombudsman Institute.

Throughout his career, he has also demonstrated a keen interest in human rights and the rights of minorities throughout the world, perhaps because of his own background as a member of the Swedish minority in Finland.

Söderman has been active over the years in promoting human rights in Central and South America.

He was chairman of the International Chile Commission for eight years following General Augusto Pinochet's 1974 coup and has made speeches throughout the region on the role of ombudsmen in promoting human rights. He is currently understood to be very concerned about human rights violations in Algeria.

Söderman's cooperative but firm approach seems to be working to good effect when it comes to dealing with the complaints which do fall within his competence.

According to Finnish Christian Democrat MEP and petitions committee member Kyösti Toivonen, the majority of these complaints are directed at the European Commission.

“The Commission is too slow,” he says. “Many complaints are concerned with late payment of invoices and the Commission has to realise there are problems.”

According to Toivonen, Söderman's role must be to “shake” the Commission. To do this effectively, the MEP believes his compatriot needs more resources. “His office is too small and I have tried to get him more staff.”

Söderman's style has also helped him avoid ruffling feathers inside the Commission. Liikanen, for one, takes a remarkably positive view of his old colleague's criticisms.

“For me, he is very easy to work with. His approach is one of cooperation. If there is a problem of mismanagement, we change it,” says the Commissioner charged with the institution's internal management, adding: “I find his office a useful source of information about citizens' views.”

But Söderman is not afraid of speaking his mind and, at times, his well-documented openness has led him to make some rather blunt comments.

“He is very straight about saying what he thinks,” says Finnish Socialist MEP Saara-Maria Paakkinen.

“When I first entered the Finnish parliament as a young MP, Jacob, who was already there, took it on himself to welcome me and show me around. After we had spoken for a while he turned to me and said: 'One day I think you will make a good MP'.”

Paakkinen stresses, however, that her former political colleague's occasional gaffes were never motivated by malice.

“He was always ready to help people,” she says.

That kindness has been on display often since Söderman, a married man with three children, took on his new job.

Following his election as Ombudsman, Söderman was invited to a conference in Madrid, where he explained his mandate and invited delegates to respond.

First to speak was a lady complaining about discrimination against gypsies in Andalucia.

“When I was young, I was an active supporter of gypsies' rights, so I gave her what advice I could,” Söderman explained in an interview with European Voice earlier this year.

She was followed by a representative from the Western Sahara complaining about his people's troubles and a Moroccan criticising Spain's treatment of illegal workers.

In each case, Söderman tried to offer what advice he could, even though both were far outside his competence as Ombudsman.

Nor is the EU Ombudsman one of those politicians who believes life should be 'all work and no play'.

Liikanen, who is himself known within the Commission as a keen sportsman, remembers Söderman as an enthusiastic and talented footballer.

“He really is a very good player. He used to compete at regional level and we played in the parliamentary team. He was in defence, while I was an attacker,” said the Commissioner, although he would not comment on whether this past relationship had any bearing on their current professional rapport.

All those who know the EU Ombudsman speak of him as a keen sportsman. As well as football, Söderman was considered to be a formidable force in the boxing ring in his younger days. Now, you are more likely to see him cycling around Strasbourg's canals in the early morning mist or taking bracing walks in the nearby Alsatian forests.

“He is clearly interested in keeping fit,” says Newman. “He is a lot healthier than I am.”

While questions about the effectiveness of an ombudsman with no power to prosecute will continue to provoke accusations that Söderman is a 'watchdog with no teeth', the general verdict on the Finn's first year in office is that he has done a very effective job “in the circumstances”.

Söderman's bridge-building approach to relations with the parliamentary petitions committee bodes well for those with EU-related complaints. If he cannot help you personally, he is prepared to refer you to someone who can.

A proposed satellite office in Brussels should help to raise Söderman's profile with the EU institutions, the Brussels press corps and Union citizens in general - and go some way towards ending complaints that the man elected to keep Brussels in check is marooned in Strasbourg.