Greek Ombudsman actions for strengthening good governance, accountability and combating maladministration in the public sector

About this project

<p>The Greek Ombudsman plays a vital constitutional role in protecting citizens’ rights and ensuring public administration acts transparently, fairly, and lawfully. Yet during the drafting of the MoU, more than 70% of complaints received by the Ombudsman pointed to maladministration — a sign of structural issues undermining citizens’ trust in institutions. Many of these problems stemmed from fragmented cooperation between public bodies, lack of visibility of the Ombudsman’s preventive role, and limited access to its services, especially in Northern Greece and among vulnerable groups. To respond, this project focused on strengthening the Ombudsman’s operational capacity, public presence, and citizen outreach. A new office was established in Thessaloniki — a strategic step to bring the institution closer to underserved areas. Outreach visits and meetings were organised with over 193 regional entities, while a comprehensive awareness campaign was launched through workshops, print, digital and audiovisual media.</p> <p>Key goals included improving access to mediation for vulnerable groups (e.g. Roma, children, people in detention), upgrading the institution’s digital infrastructure, building staff skills, and boosting institutional collaboration across Greece. Training programmes focused on good governance, equal treatment, and rights protection, targeting both Ombudsman staff and civil servants. The project also benefitted from the partnership with the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), which contributed expert input on fundamental rights and co-organised awareness and training initiatives. This partnership helped amplify the project's impact and ensured alignment with EU standards.</p> <p>Ultimately, the project aimed to make the Ombudsman more visible, accessible, and effective — improving administrative accountability and helping restore citizens’ confidence in public institutions, one of the cornestone goals of the Programme and the sector of EEA Grants.</p>

Project partners

• European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights Donor project partner· Austria
• European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights Project partner· Austria