Ombudsman: EU citizenship in crisis

Emily O'Reilly said that the EU policy makers should give more emphasis on the EU's identity and legitimacy crisis in order to help in the revival of the EU citizenship. "We need to keep in mind those values and principles on which the EU was founded , not just the economic ones but also, and more importantly, respect for fundamental rights, the notion of freedom, solidarity, the protection of minorities and respect for cultural and language diversity. We need a human Europe," she stressed.
According to the European Ombudsman, the elections of the European Parliament in 2014 will be a real opportunity for EU citizens to make their voices heard at the EU level. She underlined that citizens of Europe need to know that they will elect their representatives in the Parliament and, through them, help determine the outcome of the election of the next Commission President. Moreover, she stressed that the new office holders need to be courageous enough to challenge EU citizens to look beyond their personal and national interests.
Emily O'Reilly called the EU institutions to become more transparent and accountable to come closer to the EU citizens. The Ombudsman voiced her concern that many EU senior officials may leave EU positions, after the elections, and take up lucrative private sector employment without adequate scrutiny of possible conflicts of interest. O'Reilly stated. "Our EU institutions must behave impeccably and be seen to resist the temptation towards arrogance and self-serving behaviour. Given the perceived lack of political legitimacy, the EU itself must be seen to be the 'gold standard' in these areas."