Ombudsmandens opgaver - sådan en har vi ikke i Tyskland - er af grundlæggende betydning for EU, fordi han kommunikerer direkte med EU's borgere og dermed bringer dem i nærmere kontakt med EU's organer.
The functions of an ombudsman – a position that the state from which I come has abolished – are of fundamental importance to the European Union, as he or she communicates directly with the European Union’s citizens and thereby brings them closer to its institutions.