How to contact the EU Institutions and their officials

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	Information offices of the European parliament
	The European Parliament and the Members of the European Parliament – petitions
	Contacting the European Commission
	How to contact the European Ombudsman
	SOLVIT

Alleged failure to publish call for proposals documents in languages other than English The complainant, a German MEP, was contacted by some of his constituents who wanted to respond to the Commission's 2009 Call for proposals — Civil protection Financial Instrument — Co-operation projects on preparedness and prevention. However, they found that a number of documents necessary for responding to the call were only available in English on the Commission's website. In May 2009, the complainant turned to the Ombudsman. In its opinion, the Commission argued that it was important for actors in the field of civil protection to be able to communicate well. Its decision to publish the call documents only in English was based on the objective reason that English was recognised as the standard language for such communication in the area of civil protection. Applicants could, however, request translations of all the relevant documents. The Commission outlined that, despite this fact, it had never received a request for such a translation... (Read More)

The European Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration in the institutions and bodies of the European Union. The Ombudsman is completely independent and impartial.

The Ombudsman investigates cases of maladministration (poor or failed administration). Maladministration occurs if an institution fails to act in accordance with the law, fails to respect the principles of good administration, or violates human rights. Some examples are:

• administrative irregularities
• unfairness
• discrimination
• abuse of power
• failure to reply
• refusal of information
• unnecessary delay

 The European Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration in the institutions and bodies of the European Union (EU). The institutions include, among others, the European Commission, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament. The European Medicines Agency and the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions are examples of Union bodies that he can investigate. Only the Court of Justice, the Court of First Instance, and the Civil Service Tribunal acting in their judicial role do not fall within his jurisdiction.

The Ombudsman usually conducts inquiries on the basis of complaints but can also launch inquiries on his own initiative.

Write to the Ombudsman in any of the Treaty languages (since 1 January 2007, there have been 23 Treaty languages) setting out clearly who you are, which EU institution or body you are complaining against and the grounds for your complaint.

• A complaint must be made within two years of the date when you became aware of the facts on which your complaint is based.
• You need not be individually affected by the maladministration.
• You must already have contacted the institution or body concerned about the matter, for example by a letter.
• The Ombudsman does not deal with matters that are currently before a court or that have already been settled by a court.

The Ombudsman will examine your complaint, and you will be informed of the outcome of his investigation.

A complaint can be made by writing a letter to the European Ombudsman or by using the form enclosed (122.3 KB) . An electronic version of this complaint form is available on the Ombudsman's website.

The European Ombudsman
1 Avenue du Président Robert Schuman
CS 30403
FR - 67001 Strasbourg Cedex
Tel. +33 (0)3 88 17 23 13
Fax +33 (0)3 88 17 90 62

 http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu