European Ombudsman, special report: secrecy in the Commission's recruitment procedures

The committee adopted the report by Herbert BÖSCH (PES, A) on the European Ombudsman's special report following the own-initiative inquiry into secrecy in the Commission's recruitment procedures. The committee praised the special report and noted that the own-initiative inquiry was an appropriate example of the exercise of the Ombudsman's mandate. It also congratulated the Commission on its positive response to the Ombudsman's recommendations with regard to recruitment procedures and noted that the Commission had agreed to grant candidates access to their marked examination scripts in competitions organised from 1 July 2000 onwards. It called on all the EC institutions and bodies to follow the example set by the Commission and guarantee a high degree of transparency in their recruitment procedures, including giving candidates access to such scripts upon request in future competitions. The committee concluded that greater transparency in recruitment procedures could only strengthen the confidence of citizens, not only in the work of the selection boards but also, indirectly, in the institutional system of the Community.�