The European Ombudsman and good administration in the European Union

Summary:

This book explores the work of the European Ombudsman and her or his contribution to holding the EU institutions, bodies, offices and agencies to account, through examination of complaints on maladministration, own-initiative inquiries and other proactive efforts.

The book considers the Ombudsman’s current institutional and constitutional position and her or his ‘method’ of dealing with complaints, and unravels the depth of subject matters that fall under the Ombudsman’s remit. A further chapter focuses on transparency and access to documents. The last part of the book critically reflects upon the present mandate and practice of the Ombudsman, and discusses a number of possible proposals for improvement.

Contents:

1. Introduction: the office of the European Ombudsman in its third decade of operation
2. The institutional and constitutional position of the European Ombudsman
3. The link between the role of the European Ombudsman and democracy
4. Exploring the European Ombudsman’s method: analysis of cases
5. A case-study: inquiries on transparency and access to documents
6. Revisiting the mandate and practice of the European Ombudsman