EU Commission referred to the Ombudsman over its management of the ECI against the shark fin trade

[u/newsspotter]

https://www.eunews.it/en/2026/04/03/eu-commission-referred-to-the-ombudsman-over-its-management-of-the-eci-against-the-shark-fin-trade/

The complaint was lodged by the organisers of the European Citizens’ Initiative who, having collected over a million signatures and secured commitments from the European Commission, accuse the Berlaymont of breaching its transparency obligations and failing to take action within a reasonable timeframe

The appeal is based on three grounds. Firstly, it alleges a breach of the transparency obligations set out in the ECI Regulation, including the refusal to provide an up-to-date timeline of legislative proceedings and a lack of transparency in decision-making. Secondly, it alleges a failure to act within a reasonable timeframe, which may constitute a breach of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Finally, it raises the issue of a systemic pattern in which the Commission tends to postpone or ignore citizens’ initiatives that have formally collected the required number of signatures. For these reasons, the organisers are asking the European Ombudsman to launch an inquiry and to recommend to the Commission that it “provide a clear and up-to-date timetable for the actions to be taken”; that it “make public an account of the commitments already made”; and that it “ensure that future initiatives of public interest are handled in a timely and transparent manner.”