Three shortlisted and four award winning EU Agencies at the European Ombudsman Award

12 EU Agencies were nominated, 3 shortlisted and 3 handed a prestigious Award during the European Ombudsman Award in Brussels on 29 March 2017.

The European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), together with the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), and Translation Centre for the Bodies of the European Union (CdT) won an award in the category “excellence in citizen / customer focused services delivery” for managing together their multi-lingual websites.

The EU’s Agency for cyber security, ENISA, received an Award in the “Excellence in Innovation – Transformation” category for its cyber-crisis simulation executed in real-time (over 48 hours) following two years of planning and which redefines redefining European cyber cooperation. Over the project’s lifetime, more than 1000 participants were trained and benefited from the program.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Commission (DG for Health and Food Safety), were shortlisted for addressing together antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of the most serious global public health threats.

Launched in October 2017, the European Ombudsman Award attracted 90 nominated projects from across the European institutions and bodies. Entries had to demonstrate good public administration and notably a culture of service and commitment to improving the lives of EU citizens. Prizes were awarded in seven categories with the overall Award for Good Administration 2017 going to the Commission’s DG for Health and Food Safety whose nominated unit developed EU collaboration in the sharing of vital information and expertise to help millions of Europeans suffering from rare diseases.

"The EU civil service is sometimes under-appreciated. It is rightly held to account by my office, journalists and others but there should also be room for recognition of a task well done. It is very fitting that this should happen around the significant anniversary of the founding Treaty of Rome," said the European Ombudsman, Ms O'Reilly. "I have been struck by the quality of the nominations, small and large-scale, across an array of policy areas and sometimes involving several institutions. They showcase the individual and collective efforts to make a positive difference."