mr president first of all i want to congratulate nikiforos diamandouros on being elected european ombudsman
as was pointed out in his report from last year the crucial work is about building citizens trust in the eu and we can all subscribe to that
we all have an important role to contribute to that important work both as institutions and as individuals
relations between the commission and the ombudsman have always been very good and very constructive
i think our cooperation has become even smoother and more productive
through his inquiries the european ombudsman and his team have done a lot to help develop and reinforce a culture of service within the commission
very important lessons have been drawn from critical remarks made and we also see an increase in the willingness to achieve friendly solutions
this development should continue and i know the commission will continue to follow closely the ombudsman's activities and welcome his proposals
the years to come are going to be interesting and challenging for the ombudsman
i am of course thinking about the new possibilities offered by the treaty of lisbon
as you all know the right to good administration is enshrined in the charter of fundamental rights
i am in no doubt that the ombudsman will enhance his contribution to strengthening democracy in europe
the tools are transparency and service-minded institutions
we all have a responsibility to support him in that work
so again congratulations on your appointment and i wish you all the best for the very important tasks that lie ahead of all of us
