European Ombudsman

European Ombudsman
European Ombudsman logo
Incumbent Emily O'Reilly since 1 October 2013
Appointer	European Parliament
Inaugural holder	Jacob Söderman
Formation	1995
Website	ombudsman.europa.eu

The European Ombudsman (or sometimes Euro-Ombudsman) is an ombudsman for the European Union, based in the Salvador de Madariaga Building in Strasbourg.

The European Ombudsman was established by the Maastricht Treaty and the first, Jacob Söderman of Finland, was elected by Parliament in 1995. The current Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly of Ireland, took office on 1 October 2013.

The European Ombudsman is elected by the European Parliament. She is elected for the term of Parliament and her term is renewable. At the request of Parliament, the Ombudsman may be removed by the Court of Justice if "he no longer fulfils the conditions required for the performance of his duties or if he is guilty of serious misconduct". ()

Any EU citizen or entity may appeal the Ombudsman to investigate an EU institution on the grounds of maladministration: administrative irregularities, unfairness, discrimination, abuse of power, failure to reply, refusal of information or unnecessary delay. The Ombudsman can not investigate the European Court of Justice in its judicial capacity, the General Court, the Civil Service Tribunal, national and regional administrations (even where EU law is concerned), judiciaries, private individuals or corporations.

The Ombudsman has no binding powers to compel compliance with his rulings, but the overall level of compliance is high. The Ombudsman primarily relies on the power of persuasion and publicity. In 2011, the overall rate of compliance by the EU institutions with his suggestions was 82%. The EU Agencies had a compliance rate of 100%. The compliance rate of the European Commission was the same as the overall figure of 82%, while the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO) scored 69%.