mmission.
ARTICLE 107c
Any citizen of the Union, and any natural or legal person residing or
having its registered office in a Member State, shall have the right to
address, individually or in association with other citizens or persons,
a petition to the European Parliament on a matter which comes within
the Community's fields of activity and which affects him, her or it
directly.
ARTICLE 107d
1. The European Parliament shall appoint an Ombudsman empowered
to receive complaints from any citizen of the Union or any natural or
legal person residing or having its registered office in a Member State
concerning instances of maladministration in the activities of the
Community institutions or bodies, with the exception of the Court of
Justice and the Court of First Instance acting in their judicial role.
In accordance with his duties, the Ombudsman shall conduct inquiries
for which he finds grounds, either on his own initiative or on the basis
of complaints submitted to him direct or through a member of the
European Parliament, except where the alleged facts are or have been
the subject of legal proceedings. Where the Ombudsman establishes
an instance of maladministration, he shall refer the matter to the
institution concerned. The person lodging the complaint shall be
informed of the outcome of such inquiries.
The Ombudsman shall submit an annual report to the European
Parliament on the outcome of his inquiries.
2. The Ombudsman shall be appointed after each election of the
European Parliament for the duration of its term of office. The
Ombudsman shall be eligible for reappointment.
The Ombudsman may be dismissed by the Court of Justice at the
request of the European Parliament if he no longer fulfils the
conditions required for the performance of his duties or if he is guilty
of serious misconduct.
3. The Ombudsman shall be completely independent in the
performance of his duties. In the performance of those duties he shall
neither seek nor take instructions form any body. The Ombudsman
may not, during his term of office, engage in any other occupation,
whether gainful or not.
4. The European Parliament shall, after seeking an opinion from the
Commission and with the approval of the Council acting by a qualified
majority, lay down the regulations and general conditions governing
the performance of the Ombudsman's duties."
3) Paragraph 3 of Article 108 shall be replaced by the following:
"3. The European Parliament shall