The ombudsman’s role in the EU is to maintain transparency standards within EU institutions, but its decisions are non-binding and rely on these institutions for execution.
O’Reilly, originating from Ireland and the EU’s first female ombudsman, expressed frequent “frustration” over the Commission’s disregard for her office’s recommendations, behaving “repeatedly” as though “the public couldn’t be trusted with certain information.”
“If you had issues, like those concerning Covid-19 and the vaccine contracts … even though my recommendations were legally sound and valid … they still weren’t acted on,” she mentioned.
NGOs, the press, and even some former commissioners have long faulted the Commission for a secretive culture under Ursula von der Leyen during her two terms as president, accusing her of unilateral actions.
O’Reilly was succeeded in 2025 by Teresa Anjinho, Portugal’s past justice minister, at the conclusion of her term.
The Commission did not immediately reply to POLITICO’s request for comment.
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