Changes from plenary report to adopted text

43. Recalls that the Ombudsman does not own its own buildings but rents a building in Brussels and office space in Strasbourg; notes with satisfaction that the Havel building in Strasbourg is fully accessible to persons with reduced mobility or other disabilities and strongly regrets that accessibility to the building rented in Brussels needs improvement; calls on Parliament to improve accessibility to the building rented to the Ombudsman in Brussels;

Environment and sustainability

44. Welcomes that, over the years, the Ombudsman has reduced its environmental footprint, notably through the digitalisation of its processes and publications such as the annual report, the removal of individual printers and measures to make events more sustainable; notes that, in terms of the environmental footprint of its buildings, the Ombudsman relies on the measures taken by the Parliament in its capacity as owner of the buildings; acknowledges that the Ombudsman to forward its request to Parliament, expressed in the 2021 discharge, to install solar panels on the roof of its buildings;

45. Notes that the Ombudsman continued to encourage sustainable mobility in 2022, notably by providing financial support for public transportation’s yearly subscriptions, by limiting available car parking spaces and by improving facilities and parking for cyclists;

Interinstitutional cooperation

46. Welcomes the financial and administrative savings achieved through inter-institutional cooperation, in particular the wide-range of service-level agreements concluded with the Parliament and the Commission and the participation in interinstitutional procurement procedures; notes that, in 2022, the Ombudsman developed new synergies with other institutions and signed agreements on the provision of services for the use of the remote qualified signing certificates by the Commission and the provision of services by Parliament’s Staff Front Office and Info Desk;

47. Recognises the importance of maintaining a high level of exchanges and coordination with the European Network of Ombudsmen (ENO); welcomes the organisation of the ENO annual conference and thematic webinar as important discussion fora on topical issues having an impact on the work of Ombudsmen across Europe in 2022;

48. Welcomes the cooperation that the Ombudsman maintains with the EPPO, the ECA and OLAF aiming to avoid duplication of investigations and discussing topics of mutual interest, such as the improvement of the Union’s oversight framework; welcomes equally the cooperation channels put in place with the EDPS to ensure swift cross-consultation in the everyday work of both institutions and the Memorandum of Understanding delineating the respective competences of each institution aiming to avoid duplication of procedures;

49. Welcomes that the Ombudsman has a close cooperation with relevant European Parliament Committees on important inquiries either by presenting the work directly in Committee meetings or through information being sent to the Committee Chairs; highlights that the strategic initiatives and inquiries conducted by the Ombudsman are key to improving the transparency and accountability of the Union administration;

Communication

50. Notes that the overall budget for communication and promotional activities increased from EUR 92 100 to EUR 132 400, i.e. 43,8 %, between 2021 and 2022; congratulates the Ombudsman for developing a comprehensive communication strategy which has contributed to increasing outreach to specialised audiences and to the general public; notes that European media issued 60 % more press articles on the Ombudsman compared to 2021;

51. Welcomes the efforts of the Ombudsman to raise citizens’ awareness about the role of the Ombudsman and the possibility of recourse to it in the event of maladministration by a Union institution; recognises the efforts undertaken to provide transparent information and publish data in an informative and user friendly format on the Ombudsman website, although such data is not available in open format; welcomes the adoption of a new logo and visual identity to increase the visibility of the Ombudsman’s work and make it recognisable as a Union body;