Ireland’s Emily O’Reilly will soon leave her post as EU Ombudswoman after more than a decade. Under her watch, the bloc’s governance has become more transparent and accountable, but she feels more work needs to be done.
They say the European Commission must be more accountable and transparent about what powers affect it and be more open to input from all stakeholders. Emily O’Reillynext person to step down EU Ombudswoman.
She spoke to Euronews’ Isabel Marques da Silva about the achievements and challenges of her tenure. Isabel began by asking her about the recently launched Ombudsman inquiry into the relaxation of regulations relating to the Commission’s Common Agricultural Policy.
“We will be examining documents related to that and interviewing relevant officials,” O’Reilly said. “This is about Common agricultural policy and changes “It turns out that it makes the job of farmers a little less cumbersome and less difficult when it comes to protecting the environment.”
“And of course you remember that there were actually massive farmer protests in this city and elsewhere, and then these changes were made,” she added.
“So organizations involved in environmental protection were concerned about this, because according to the complaints we received, the only people who were consulted were agricultural organizations.”
“So we’re basically trying to figure out what happened: How did you go about making these changes? Who did you consult? What did you consider?”
“And once we have that answer, we will make a decision as to whether we should make recommendations as to whether they did it right and what to do going forward, or simply provide general guidance on these specific issues that are of great concern to our citizens. She spoke about how to manage it properly.
public service
So has the work of the Ombudsman’s Office made it easier for ordinary citizens to access and hold institutions and key decision-makers accountable than a decade ago?
“I think there’s more awareness of it,” O’Reilly said. “Certainly because of what we have done within the Commission, what the media has done and what civil society and others have done as well.
“But sometimes problems still arise, and sometimes we look at these things on a case-by-case basis.”
“But I think overall, culturally, there is more acceptance of the need for better balance when major issues of public interest are decided – everyone’s voice needs to be heard,” she added.
Small office, big mission
The Ombudsman’s role as watchdog of EU institutions and agencies evolved during O’Reilly’s tenure. but she feels Monitoring agencies must remain vigilant at all times. What advice would she give to her successor?
“My advice is to do what you have to do. I think the European Ombudsman is a small office with a big mission,” O’Reilly said.
“It’s an organization that monitors the entire European administration. It’s not a little office that just deals with small complaints and bows its head. It really has to take on that role. And that’s what I’ve been trying to do for the last 11 years.”
To watch the full Euronews interview, click on the video player above.
