Teresa Anjinho elected as new European Ombudsman

On Tuesday, Parliament backed Teresa Anjinho (Portugal) as the European Ombudsman for a five-year mandate, with the support of 344 MEPs in a secret plenary vote.

After two rounds of voting, Teresa Anjinho secured the necessary majority of votes cast. Six candidates participated in the first and second ballots: Teresa Anjinho (Portugal), Emilio De Capitani (Italy), Marino Fardelli (Italy), Julia Laffranque (Estonia), Claudia Mahler (Austria), and Reinier van Zutphen (the Netherlands).

The new European Ombudsman

Teresa Anjinho is an independent human rights expert and academic researcher, serving as a member of the Supervisory Committee of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) and previously as Deputy Ombudsman of Portugal.

During the Petitions Committee public hearing on 3 December 2024, Anjinho pledged to strengthen trust between the EU and its citizens by upholding the highest standards of integrity, accountability, and responsiveness.

“Today’s world does not understand indecision by unnecessary formalities or bureaucracies; neither does it accept unjustified delays. We must always respect due process, rules and essential formal proceedings, but we also must deliver. It is a matter of trust in the institution, but also – in the end – in the European Union as whole,” she told MEPs.

Next steps

Once endorsed by the European Parliament, the new European Ombudsman will take office following an oath-taking ceremony on 27 February 2025 at the EU Court of Justice, for a five-year mandate.

Background

The outgoing EU Ombudsman, Emily O’Reilly from Ireland, first assumed office in July 2013 and renewed her mandate for a second term in December 2019. She was preceded by Paraskevas Nikiforos Diamandouros of Greece (2003-2013), and Jacob Söderman from Finland (1995-2003).

Established in 1995, the European Ombudsman investigates cases of maladministration within EU institutions, bodies, offices, and agencies, acting on their own initiative or in response to complaints from EU citizens.