Ombudsman: How EU border management funds can comply with fundamental rights

25 February 2025

The Ombudsman has made a series of suggestions to the European Commission to help it monitor EU funds granted to Member States for border management and ensure their use does not result in fundamental rights violations.

In particular, she suggested the Commission create guidelines for assessing compliance by Member States with fundamental rights throughout the entire duration of funding programmes. These guidelines should include the need to take into account independent sources of information on potential rights violations and establish public criteria for withholding or suspending EU funding.

The Ombudsman’s inquiry into this issue follows a complaint from several non-governmental organisations who had raised concerns that the Commission has failed to effectively monitor EU-funded border management activities in the face of persistent allegations of human rights violations by the Greek authorities.

In its assessment of complaints received about fundamental rights violations and parts of the Greek programme, the Ombudsman asked the Commission to consider whether Greece continues to fulfil the fundamental rights condition related to the funds.

The Ombudsman also made suggestions to the Commission for improving the transparency of the monitoring process and asked it to urge Greece to facilitate the meaningful participation of civil society organisations in monitoring compliance with fundamental rights.

• Case 1418/2023/VS
• Opened on Tuesday | 07 November 2023
• Decision on Friday | 21 February 2025
• Institution concerned European Commission ( No further inquiries justified )
• Country Greece
• Complaint submitted: 24/07/2023
• Analysis of the complaint: 27/07/2023
• Inquiry ongoing: 07/11/2023
• Inquiry outcome: 21/02/2025

Related documents

Case 1418/2023/VS

The case

Friday | 21 February 2025 Decision

Decision on how the European Commission monitors fundamental rights compliance in the context of EU funds granted to Greece for border management (case 1418/2023/VS)

Friday | 08 November 2024Case description

How the European Commission monitors EU funds granted to Greece in the context of border management operations

Thursday | 03 October 2024Inspection Report

Report on the on the meeting of the European Ombudsman inquiry team with representatives of the European Commission on how it monitors EU funds granted to Greece in the context of border management operations

Wednesday | 15 November 2023News

Ombudsman asks Commission how it ensures EU funds for Greek border management do not contribute to fundamental rights violations

Tuesday | 07 November 2023Case opened

How the European Commission monitors EU funds granted to Greece in the context of border management operations

Other documents

Thursday | 29 February 2024Correspondence

Reply by the European Commission to a request for information from the European Ombudsman on how it monitors EU funds granted to Greece in the context of border management operations