Emily O’Reilly, Ombudsman and Information Commissioner has today been elected as European Ombudsman having secured a majority of the votes of MEPs in this morning’s third round of voting.
Ms O’Reilly will succeed Nikiforos Diamandouros.
She will continue in her role as Ombudsman and Information Commissioner until October 1 of this year, after which she will formally take on her new role.
Bernadette McNally, Director General of the Offices of the Ombudsman and Information Commissioner, congratulated Ms O’Reilly on her appointment on behalf of the staff of both Offices, and also the secretariat to the Standards in Public Office Commission, and Office of the Commission for Public Service Appointments. Ms O’Reilly is a member of both commissions.
The European Ombudsman is an independent and impartial body that investigates complaints about maladministration in EU institutions, bodies, offices, and agencies. Only the Court of Justice of the European Union, acting in its judicial capacity, falls outside the Ombudsman’s mandate. The Ombudsman may find maladministration if an institution fails to respect fundamental rights, legal rules or principles, or the principles of good administration.