EU must be more transparent, ombudsman says

The European Union's ombudsman has in his annual report called on EU institutions to be more transparent and citizen-friendly.

Some 36 percent of the 3,100 complaints he received in 2009 were related to an alleged lack of transparency, including refusal to release documents or information, particularly from the European Commission.

Most of the enquiries by ombudsman Nikiforos Diamandouros concerned the EU executive (some 56 percent of cases), followed by the European Parliament, t...