Overview of European Ombudsman’s initiative looking into the COVID-19 response of the EU administration
In July 2020, the Ombudsman launched a series of inquiries
and initiatives, looking at specific aspects of the work of different EU
institutions, agencies and bodies.
The Ombudsman’s inquiry into
the work carried out by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and
Control (ECDC) in gathering and assessing data linked to the COVID-19 crisis
is at an advanced stage. The Ombudsman’s inquiry team has inspected various
ECDC files, carried out an inspection meeting with ECDC staff (see meeting report)
and assessed the ECDC’s responses to subsequent questions posed by the
Ombudsman in November.
The Ombudsman is also conducting an inquiry into the COVID-19
response of the Council of the EU, notably as regards the transparency
of its decision making. In particular, the inquiry is looking at the Council’s
decision to derogate, temporarily, from its Rules of Procedure during the
crisis, and the implications this has had for its decision-making process and
the transparency thereof. The Ombudsman’s inquiry team carried out an
inspection meeting with the Council in November ,and is evaluating the next
steps in the inquiry.
The Ombudsman also launched an initiative concerning
the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and, in particular, the role
of its pandemic task force (COVID-ETF), which was created to help take quick
and coordinated regulatory action on the development, authorisation and safety
monitoring of medicines intended for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19.
In September, EMA replied to the Ombudsman, committing to independence in how
it assesses medicines for COVID-19 and to publishing clinical data about them.
On 29 July 2020, as a follow up to her letter in April, the
Ombudsman set out a series of more detailed questions
to the European Commission, notably regarding the transparency of
public procurement procedures (including for vaccines), scientific advice and
lobbying activities in the context of the crisis.
The Ombudsman also launched a strategicinitiative, looking into the transparency of the measures introduced by
the European Investment Bank (EIB) in response to the COVID-19
crisis. The Ombudsman set out questions to the EIB concerning the transparency
of the terms and criteria related to new financing measures for small and
medium-sized enterprises. The Ombudsman received the EIB’s reply in September
and is considering the next steps in the initiative. (source: ombudsman.europa.eu)
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