EU Ombudsman: EU institutions need to keep working on integrity - Main contents

In a speech to the Council Working Party on Staff Regulations on 2 March, European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly said that EU institutions should strive to be the ‘gold standard’ in ethics, transparancy, accountability and effectiveness.

Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly (front left) at the meeting

This Working Party of the Council of the EU deals with the terms of employment of staff in the EU institutions and the internal organisation. In the view of the Netherlands Presidency, this covers more than salaries and pensions. The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Affairs organised a discussion on good governance to address the issue of what the European institutions need to function optimally and ethically. As the EU’s ethics watchdog, the Ombudsman was invited to share her vision.

Whistleblowers

In her speech Ms O’Reilly stressed the importance of clear rules to protect whistleblowers and prevent conflicts of interest arising with regard to current and former EU officials. The European Commission is doing good work in these areas, and other institutions, such as the Council and the European Parliament, should follow its example.

Culture of openness

In the lively debate that followed, the point was made that rules alone cannot ensure ethical conduct. In fact, according to a research report public authorities with fewer rules tend to score higher on integrity and trust. So, public services also need to establish and maintain a culture of openness and integrity.