WRITTEN QUESTION No. 847/99 by Glyn FORD , Alan DONNELLY Ombudsman
3. 12. 1999 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 348/137 As was pointed out in the answer to the Honourable Member’s written question E-1580/98 (2), for the purposes of the GSP, the classification of products according to their degree of sensitivity broadly reflects their sensitivity on the Community market as established at the time of the Uruguay Round multilateral trade negotiations. This classification underpins the ten-year guidelines and will not be substantially amended during their currency, since one purpose of those guidelines was precisely to ensure that the GSP schemes operated with some consistency over the ten-year period. Obviously, limited adjustments can be made when each successive scheme is adopted, but the Commission saw no need to propose adjustments for the second scheme and no Member State asked for any change when the scheme was adopted by the Council. (1) OJ L 357, 30. 12. 1998. (2) OJ C 402, 22. 12. 1998, p. 145. (1999/C 348/188) WRITTEN QUESTION E-0847/99 by Glyn Ford (PSE) and Alan Donnelly (PSE) to the Commission (7 April 1999) Subject: Ombudsman Does not the President of the Commission feel that, in the current situation, it might be appropriate for the three institutions, Council, Commission and Parliament, to have an Ombudsman responsible for ensuring that standards in public life and codes of conduct and rules are respected by the Members and staff of the three institutions and that full transparency and openness are maintained? Answer given by Mr Santer on behalf of the Commission (29 April 1999) In order to generate consultation between the three institutions, the Commission has sent the Presidents of the Council and Parliament the three codes of conduct applying, respectively, to Members of the Commission, to relations between Members and Commission departments, and to Commission officials. The code of conduct for officials sets out in easy-to-read fashion the ethical and professional rules of behaviour arising from the Staff Regulations, which are common to the three institutions. It is for each institution to ensure that all the rules which govern the behaviour of their officials are applied both within their institution and in their relations with the outside world. As regards relations with the outside world, the European Ombudsman has authority to deal with complaints made by citizens of the Union or by natural or legal persons residing in a Member State regarding cases of maladministration, particularly in the three institutions referred to. If the concept of maladministration is interpreted broadly, the Ombudsman’s authority can also extend to all complaints which challenge administrative decisions. The Ombudsman is thus already competent to deal with all cases covered by part 5. (‘Serving the Public’) of the Commission’s code of conduct for officials