Neuhold, Christine --- "‘Monitoring the law and independent from politics?’ The relationship between the European Ombudsman and the European Parliament" [2017] ELECD 887; in Hofmann, C.H. Herwig; Ziller, Jacques (eds), "Accountability in the EU" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2017) 53

Book Title: Accountability in the EU

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

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781785367304

Section: Chapter 3

Section Title: ‘Monitoring the law and independent from politics?’ The relationship between the European Ombudsman and the European Parliament

Author(s): Neuhold, Christine

Number of pages: 21

Abstract/Description:

The European Ombudsman (EO) is appointed by the European Parliament (EP) and has his offices in the premises of the EP. On the other hand the EO has to investigate ‘complaints about maladministration’ of European Union (EU) institutions, including the EP. How does this tension play out in the practical process? The underlying question is whether the EO acts as an ‘independent’ institution vis-à-vis the EP. In order to be able to operationalize the concept of ‘independence’, we want to see whether there are any ‘patterns’ one can discern in this context; are there certain ‘roles’ that the EO adopts? This conceptualization of roles is based on an examination of decisions against the EP during the period of 2005–15. The chapter concludes with the observation that the ‘roles’ that the Ombudsman adopts, are linked to a more general process of attempting to legitimize the EU by way of ‘procedural legitimacy’.