Complaints about access to EU documents rose to more than 40% of cases handled by the European Ombudsman in 2024, up from about 30% in previous years.
European Ombudswoman Teresa Anjinho told a European Parliament plenary debate that the rise was driven largely by delays in answering requests for documents, in remarks accompanying the 2024 report published by her office.
The European Parliament unanimously backed a European Ombudsman special report in March 2024 calling on the European Commission to address delays in handling document requests, the Ombudsman said in a release on Thursday.
An inquiry by the Ombudsman’s office into how the Commission and the Council of the EU deal with requests for legislative documents was concluded in 2024, with both institutions indicating a willingness to improve “proactive transparency” — publishing more information without waiting for requests.
Complaints about access to documents remain high, the Ombudsman added, and her office said the situation may require revisiting Regulation 1049/2001, the EU law that sets out public access to EU documents.
Ethics inquiries and ‘dangerous chemical substances’
In 2024, the Ombudsman made recommendations to the Commission on preventing conflicts of interest linked to staff work trips and on tightening rules for external experts who evaluate European Defence Fund projects, with the Commission making improvements in both areas.
The Ombudsman also raised concerns about sponsorship used by rotating Council presidencies, saying some potential conflicts of interest remained despite steps taken by the Council.
A separate Ombudsman inquiry found that Commission decisions on authorising “particularly dangerous chemical substances” took an average of 14 and a half months, and sometimes several years, leaving substances on the market while procedures were ongoing.
Recommendations to improve those procedures were not implemented and the inquiry was closed with a finding of maladministration, the Ombudsman said, adding that her office would continue to monitor the issue.
