Europese Ombudsman beëindigt onderzoek naar Bankenautoriteit na openbaarmaking gevraagde informatie (en)

The European Ombudsman, P. Nikiforos Diamandouros, has closed his inquiry into a complaint against the Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS) after its successor, the European Banking Authority (EBA), published a list of participants in a public hearing about remuneration policies for the European financial sector. This follows a complaint by a Swedish trade union representative who had participated in the meeting and whose request for access to the list had initially been denied by CEBS.

Mr Diamandouros commented: "Transparency in the EU's banking institutions is fundamental in order to establish legitimacy and citizens' trust in their operations. I therefore commend the EBA's announcement that it intends fully to apply the Union's transparency rules."

Refused access to list of participants in a public hearing on remuneration policies

In October 2010, the Committee of European Banking Supervisors organised a public hearing on draft guidelines on remuneration policies for the European financial sector. A representative of a Swedish trade union for employees in the financial sector participated in the hearing. In November, he asked the CEBS for access to the list of participants, which it denied. The complainant then turned to the Ombudsman.

In January 2011, the CEBS became the European Banking Authority, which took over responsibility for replying to the Ombudsman. The EBA stated that it was making all the necessary efforts to comply with EU transparency rules and disclosed the requested list. The complainant thanked the EBA for its cooperation and the Ombudsman for his work.

The full text of the Ombudsman's decision is available at:

http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu/en/cases/decision.faces/en/10526/html.bookmark

The European Ombudsman investigates complaints about maladministration in the EU institutions and bodies. Any EU citizen, resident, or an enterprise or association in a Member State, can lodge a complaint with the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman offers a fast, flexible, and free means of solving problems with the EU administration. For more information: http://www.ombudsman.europa.eu

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