madam president i am extremely satisfied with the work of the ombudsman as explained in his annual report and in his speech
the european ombudsman is a vital part of the democratic structure and functioning of the union
the largest proportion of the ombudsman's inquiries concern lack of transparency and refusal to provide information
this is an area of our activities that we must improve if we are to become more credible in the eyes of citizens
it is important that we support the work of the ombudsman and that of the committee on petitions
both deal with the handling of complaints and petitions on eu matters from citizens that help us to find out what is not working at european level and to take corrective measures
cases being brought to the ombudsman and to the committee on petitions are of increasing complexity and therefore require greater investment of resources by the institutions in order that citizens concerns are properly addressed
if these concerns are properly addressed then we will be making some progress towards improving the credibility of and confidence in the union as a whole
