madam president rather than dealing with the history i will congratulate the rapporteur on an excellent report and the ombudsman for his presentation today and his cooperation with us and indeed the commission statement
could i ask in particular for consistency in how the commission deals with citizens
i am concerned that in some cases when an individual brings a case to the commission the needs and rights of the individual are overtaken by the involvement of the member state almost like a victim in a court case being ignored by the prosecution
i shall give you an example
a constituent of mine complained about the irish planning laws as they apply in rural areas
the action of the commission in handling that case was exemplary in their dealings with the citizen in meeting and engaging
however as the case moved on i am afraid that declined i believe in favour of the member state to the absolute frustration of the citizen
i know this person and they were very pleased initially and are now very frustrated
in other words the citizen who brings forward the information who provides the impetus for action is forgotten about in the ongoing process
i think commissioner when you asked the question who comes first
you said it was the eu citizens
i am not so sure
