Founding of European Ombudsman

The European Ombudsman is an institution of the European Union that investigates complaints about maladministration by EU institutions, bodies and agencies. The post was created by the Maastricht Treaty, and its first holder, Jacob Söderman of Finland, took office in the mid-1990s, with an office in Strasbourg. Any citizen or resident of the European Union, as well as businesses and associations, can lodge a complaint about, for example, unfair treatment, lack of transparency, delays or refusal of access to documents. The Ombudsman can make recommendations, but cannot issue binding orders. The office also carries out its own inquiries on matters of wider concern, such as transparency in the EU's decision-making.

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