Brussels briefing

Emily O’Reilly eyes up EU ombudsman role

Irish ombudsman Emily O’Reilly’s bid to become the EU equivalent will come to an end this week with votes in the parliament.

She has put in a more active campaign than the three MEPs she is battling against, and than the Dutch ombudsman also running. She was encouraged by Nordic MEPs when they signed a letter objecting to the politicisation of the role and said the MEPs should not run for the post.