During the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg, MEPs discussed the European Ombudsman’s 2023 annual activity report. Speaking on behalf of the ECR Group were PiS MEPs Kosma Złotowski and Bogdan Rzońca.
Kosma Złotowski thanked Emily O’Reilly for having championed transparency and integrity in EU institutions for over 10 years. “However, her most recent term in particular has shown that a lack of transparency in the decision-making process and corruption are real and unresolved problems,” he noted. The MEP shared the concerns expressed by the Ombudsman that the implementation and enforcement of ethical rules in Parliament following the Qatargate scandal may still raise concerns.
The Polish politician emphasized that another extremely important issue is the cumbersome process of accessing documents and determining what falls under this category. According to Złotowski, the text message correspondence between the Committee Chair and the head of Pfizer regarding the EU contract for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines should also be made publicly available. “This issue still requires urgent attention and has not yet been properly clarified,” he noted.
Bogdan Rzońca emphasized that in 2023, the role of the Ombudsman was, as in previous years, extremely important, especially in the context of the transparency and accountability of EU institutions. “Over the past year, the Ombudsman conducted investigations into the decision-making process, environmental legislation, and the influence of third parties, which was particularly significant following the outbreak of the Qatargate scandal,” he recalled.
In Bogdan Rzońca’s view, these activities helped raise awareness about transparency in the European Union, especially in matters such as the exchange of messages between the Commission President and Pfizer regarding vaccines, or the lack of transparency in environmental legislation. “What Ms. O’Reilly did was necessary, and we want the trust she helped build to be further strengthened by her successor,” said the PiS MEP, expressing hope that the next Ombudsman will also “have the strength to overcome numerous difficulties, because this role and this work must yield positive results for the European Union.”
