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Bonnor, Peter --- "When EU Civil Society Complains: Civil Society Organisations and Ombudsmanship at the European Level" [2006] ELECD 136; in Smismans, Stijn (ed), "Civil Society and Legitimate European Governance" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2006)

Book Title: Civil Society and Legitimate European Governance

Editor(s): Smismans, Stijn

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781843769460

Section: Chapter 7

Section Title: When EU Civil Society Complains: Civil Society Organisations and Ombudsmanship at the European Level

Author(s): Bonnor, Peter

Number of pages: 26

Extract:

7. When EU civil society complains:
civil society organisations and
ombudsmanship at the European
level
Peter Bonnor1

INTRODUCTION

The links between EU ombudsmanship and civil society organisations are
numerous. They nevertheless appear to be unexplored in the academic
literature, and this chapter is therefore a first tentative step at examining the
issue. Before doing so in detail, it seems helpful to give a general introductory
idea of the relationship between civil society organisations (CSOs) and
ombudsmanship in Europe.
The relationship may seem simple: CSOs can complain, they do complain,
and sometimes they get what they want, sometimes not. In actual terms, the
issue is a little more complex. It is complex in two particular respects: first,
CSOs do not only complain to obtain redress (for example `money back'
claims). They also complain to promote general interests. Second, CSOs'
exercise of their right to complain is in many respects a two-way thing because
ombudsmen themselves benefit from the input that CSOs provide. Frequently,
it is not only a question of what the ombudsman can do for CSOs, but also a
question of `what can CSOs do for the ombudsman'.
These complexities are apparent in recent statements by some national
European ombudsmen who have expressly formulated a relationship with civil
society. The first Greek National Ombudsman ­ Professor Nikiforos
Diamandouros, a political science Professor of high reputation and European
Ombudsman (EO) as from 1 April 2003 ­ informed the European Parliament
during his EO election campaign that `I have been an active member ...