European Ombudsman to be elected in January 2015
A new European Ombudsman will be elected in January 2015, President Schulz announced at the opening of the September plenary session on Monday. Nominations must be put forward no later than 30 September, after which Parliament’s Petitions Committee will hold a hearing of admissible candidates.
The call for candidates was published in the EU Official Journal of 2 September. Each candidate would need the backing of at least 40 MEPs from at least two EU member states. Those declared admissible will be asked to present their priorities in a hearing to be held by the Petitions Committee in December. The European Parliament will elect the new Ombudsman by secret ballot in January 2015.
Background
The European Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration in the institutions and bodies of the European Union. Every year, he submits a report to Parliament on the outcome of his enquiries, which is analysed by the Petitions committee.
The Ombudsman is elected by the European Parliament at the start of each parliamentary term. The current European Ombudsman, Emily O'Reilly was elected in July 2013 for the remainder of the legislative period (to May 2014), following the retirement of Nikiforos Diamandouros. The current European Ombudsman is eligible for reappointment.