European Ombudsman re-elected

Greek Nikiforos Diamandouros, the incumbent European Ombudsman was re-elected to his post following a vote in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, yesterday.

He polled 546 votes as against 45 votes received by his only contender, Italian Giuseppe Fortunato.

Welcoming the support of the MEPs, Mr Diamandouros said he was looking forward to continuing to serve EU citizens diligently, dynamically and with impartiality.

He said that his priorities for the coming five years are to ensure that citizens' rights under EU law are respected at every level in the Union and to make certain that, in everything they do, the EU institutions and its bodies conform to the highest standards of administration.

The European Ombudsman is elected by the European Parliament at the start of each parliamentary term. Mr Diamandouros was elected in January 2003 for the remainder of the 1999-2004 legislative term following the retirement of the Union's first Ombudsman, Jacob Soderman. His mandate will end in 2009.