2004 Discharge: EC general budget, European Ombudsman

 The committee adopted the report by Nils LUNDGREN (IND/DEM, SE) proposing that discharge be granted to the European Ombudsman for 2004. In its accompanying comments, the committee noted that in 2004 the Ombudsman's Office performed all the financial tasks that, until the end of 2003, had been provided by Parliament's services under previous cooperation agreements. In 2004 the Ombudsman therefore  had full control over the financial transactions relating to his section of the budget.

The report also noted that 2004 saw an unprecedented rise of 51% in complaints to the Ombudsman, which represented a  "clear sign"  of increasing awareness of the service he provided and the greater information provided by the EU institutions. In conclusion, MEPs said that the Ombudsman could serve as a model for other institutions, "both as regards a clearly defined scope of competence and a well administered budget".