The Ombudsman yesterday presented the European Parliament with a report regarding his ruling earlier this month that a 2005 decision by the Commission to stop offering work to a Belgian freelance interpreter on the grounds that he had turned 65 constituted maladministration.
Diamandouros advised the EU executive to seek "a friendly solution" by abandoning its policy, adopted in 2000, of removing freelancers from a list of interpreters available for work once they turn 65, and compensating the complainant accordingly.
But the Commission refused to act on these recommendations on the grounds that "worrying demographic developments in the profession" meant its recruitment policy had to ensure the long-term sustainability of its pool of interpreters. Measures had to be taken to "maintain an adequate supply of work for newly-qualified young interpreters" and "ensure a supply of new entrants" to the market, it argued.
In his report, the Ombudsman upholds his original ruling, calling on the EU executive to respect the principle of non-discrimination in its recruitment policy and accusing it of failure to adequately justify its refusal to employ freelance interpreters beyond the age of 65.
Justifying his decision to raise the issue with the Parliament, the Ombudsman appreciated that providing adequate employment opportunities for newcomers was a "legitimate aim," but was "not convinced" that a "complete ban" on the recruitment of interpreters aged 65 and over were "appropriate and necessary" means of achieving this.
Meanwhile, the Belgian interpreter, who had worked for the EU executive for 35 years, had also turned to the Ombudsman after facing similar treatment from the European Parliament. As a result, MEPs amended Parliament's hiring policy to base recruitment "solely on the professional ability of interpreters".
"The European Parliament abolished its discriminatory policies after my intervention. It is therefore even more regrettable that the Commission still discriminates against persons on grounds of age," said Diamandouros.
The decision outlined in yesterday's report is not the first time that the EU executive's languages department has come under fire from the European Ombudsman. Back in May, Diamandouros said a refusal by the Commission to conduct its external assistance work in all 23 official EU languages constituted maladministration. In response, the EU executive argued that doing so would simply not be feasible (EurActiv 28/05/08).
