After a short introduction, EU-accredited journalists in Brussels will have the opportunity, on 18 March, to ask questions and engage on transparency and access to information in EU governance during an API Hour with Teresa Anjinho. Please register at https://tinyurl.com/apihour.
The conversation will explore what is, in effect, a shared mission of ombudsmen and journalists: scrutinising power, ensuring institutional accountability and strengthening democratic oversight across the European Union.
Journalists are encouraged to register in advance to secure a place in the Maelbeek Room, which has a limited capacity of 56. The discussion will be moderated by Catherine Feore, vice-president of the Association de la Presse Internationale (API), and is aimed at journalists accredited to the EU institutions in Brussels. It begins at 10:00 on Wednesday, 18 March 2026.
📍 Where: Maelbeek Room, International Press Centre – Résidence Palace, Rue de la Loi 155, 1040 Brussels / Bruxelles. 📅 When: Wednesday, 18 March 2026, 10:00. Registration via https://tinyurl.com/apihour
Vague or no answers from EU institutions
Faced with vague or sometimes no replies from EU institutions, the European Ombudsman has increasingly become a last resort for journalists seeking information. Last year alone, more than 23 decisions were issued on cases brought by journalists requesting public access to documents held by EU bodies. This year, more than four complaints have already been filed by journalists.
Anjinho will focus on transparency in EU institutions and the public’s right to access official documents — including emerging questions about access to text messages and other informal communications used in decision-making. The discussion will also address accountability mechanisms within EU bodies and the role oversight institutions play in maintaining public trust.
The Ombudsman’s decisions in 2025 highlight the breadth of issues journalists pursue through access-to-documents requests. Cases have involved refusals by the European Commission, the European Parliament and other EU bodies to disclose documents related to lobbying meetings, internal investigations into staff misconduct, anti-fraud inquiries conducted by the European Anti-Fraud Office, and correspondence involving EU officials.
Other cases concerned journalists’ access to reports on migration management in Türkiye, reception conditions for asylum seekers in Cyprus, exchanges with representatives of Israel, human-rights assessments linked to border operations by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, and documents related to alleged greenwashing in the financial sector. Several cases also addressed access to legislative documents and institutional follow-up to anti-fraud investigations across EU agencies.
Registration
EU-accredited correspondents are asked to register via https://tinyurl.com/apihour
📍 Where: Maelbeek Room, International Press Centre – Résidence Palace, Rue de la Loi 155, 1040 Brussels / Bruxelles
📅 When: Wednesday, 18 March 2026, 10:00
Please inform other EU-accredited colleagues who may be interested.
