"Foreword" [2017] ELECD 884; in Hofmann, C.H. Herwig; Ziller, Jacques (eds), "Accountability in the EU" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2017) xi

Book Title: Accountability in the EU

Editor(s): Hofmann, C.H. Herwig; Ziller, Jacques

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781785367304

Section Title: Foreword

Number of pages: 2

Extract:

Foreword
I am delighted to write the Foreword to this collection of chapters written
to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Office of European Ombudsman.
The fact that such a wide variety of insights into the work of the
European Ombudsman's office can be brought together in one publication
is itself a tribute to the breadth and depth of activity of the office in its first
20 years. The different perspectives of academics from different disciplines,
the former Ombudsman, and the former Secretary-General not only dem-
onstrate the impact that the office has had on transparency, accountability
and good administration in the EU, but also provide a glimpse of how that
has been achieved by those responsible for leading the development of the
office and its practices from its inception until recent times.
It is right that a work that marks an anniversary is primarily retrospective
in its focus. The achievements of the office and its emergence as a key
player in the EU administrative landscape of dispute resolution are signifi-
cant. However, as I write this, I am conscious of the fact that the landscape
of the EU itself is changing in a way which was not envisaged 12 months
ago, let alone 20 years ago. The office cannot and does not rest on its
past achievements. My strategy of ensuring the European Ombudsman's
continuing relevance, visibility and impact requires flexibility and resilience
to meet the new challenges which face us on a daily basis.
Since ...