European Commission’s culture of secrecy as seen by the EU Ombudsman who has pushed for new standards of openness and transparency in EU institutions.
As EU Ombudsman since 2013, Emily O’Reilly oversees an independent body tasked with holding EU institutions accountable. She investigates cases of maladministration, either on her own initiative or in response to complaints from EU citizens.
O’Reilly has also urged the Commission to combat secrecy, which she argues undermines public trust. In 2022, her office criticised Ursula von der Leyen’s undisclosed text messages with Pfizer’s CEO during the COVID-19 pandemic. More recently, she called for the publication of a secret protocol sent to Mercosur, pressed for human rights protections in the EU-Tunisia migration deal, and demanded clarity from Frontex on its role in Mediterranean search and rescue operations. In her latest action, O’Reilly opened an inquiry into the Commission’s decision to relax environmental standards in the Common Agricultural Policy following protests by European farmers.
Today Radio Schuman transmit some parts of Euronews’s Isabel Silva’s interview with O’Reilly, which will be published in full this week.
Some points in the European Parliament agenda today, including a discussion with special guests on the Capital Markets Union and the new plan to finance Ukraine.
In France today, a trial begins involving the far-right National Rally party, accused of using EU funds to pay its own party employees.
And to finish off the show, let’s talk about whether and when therapies involving psychedelic drugs might become legally approved in Europe.
Radio Schuman is hosted and produced by Maïa de la Baume, with journalist and production assistant Eleonora Vasques, audio editing by Zacharia Vigneron and music by Alexandre Jas.
