Brian Crowley (Munster, UFE), presented his report to Parliament dealing with changes in the Rules of Procedure to accommodate the operation of the European Ombudsman. Parliament, he said, must guarantee the independence of the office of the Ombudsman. While Parliament, Commission and Council have their own distinct roles, the Ombudsman is the person who can interact between all those different institutions in a neutral and unbiased way. The Ombudsman and Parliament are the two central points of access for European citizens.
The Rules ensure the proper operation of Parliament and also the proper structure of relationships between Parliament and other institutions. Parliament's Rules of Procedure could be interpreted as failing to guarantee the independence of the Ombudsman. But under the Treaties the Ombudsman has the right to adopt his own implementing provisions and regulations, and so Parliament needed to amend its Rules. The biggest change is to ensure that the Ombudsman has the initiative with regard to informing Parliament and Parliament's committee. The one obligation required of the office of the Ombudsman is that an annual report must be submitted.