The record
This archive holds the documentary record of European Ombudsman case OI/4/2024/MIK. It lists every document DEMOS submitted to the Ombudsman, from the complaint of April 2024 to the last submission of May 2025. It also holds the correspondence with her office, from the opening of the inquiry to April 2026, when the Commission’s final reply reached DEMOS.
The documents show what the inquiry had before it, and what it could have checked. Set beside the Decision, they show what was used, and what was left aside.
DEMOS publishes this record as a contribution to transparency. Each document is published in the language in which it was produced: English, with one exception, in Portuguese. There are no translations. Personal data has been removed. Nothing of substance has.
One item is missing. The Commission’s written reply to the Ombudsman’s questions of January 2025, and the documents it supplied later that year, were never shared with DEMOS. The Decision closes the case on an explanation DEMOS never saw.
Of the 25 documents that bear on the substance of the case, 2 are reflected in the Decision, 10 partly and 13 not at all. This is DEMOS’s reading; the Evidence Matrix sets it out document by document.
How to read the archive
Each document has a code, VP-###, assigned by date. Documents that surfaced later carry a letter (VP-002a), so that no code ever changes. The same codes appear in the footnotes of both papers.
Telephone numbers have been removed throughout. Each line shows the document’s status:
- PublishedPosted in full.
- Published (redacted)Personal or family details removed, as noted under the title. Never substance.
- Published (excerpt)Part of a longer document, as noted under the title.
- Held on fileSubmitted to the Ombudsman, not posted.
- Withheld by the institutionNever disclosed to DEMOS.
Index of documents
Four phases. Each line opens the document as a PDF. Exhibit numbers are those of the submissions to the Ombudsman.
I. The study and the mandate2018–2020 · 7 documents
- VP-001Dec 2018DEMOS concept note for the follow-up studyExhibit 8Published
- VP-002Jun 2019Service contract FED/2019/406-596, with General ConditionsExhibit 1Removed: the team’s CVs (Annex IV), submitted to the Ombudsman.Published (redacted)
- VP-002a20 Mar 2020Addendum 1: budget amendment, with the DEMOS proposal behind itExhibit 14Published
- VP-002bMar–Nov 2020Correspondence with the EU Delegation, 2020, including WhatsApp messagesExhibit 15Removed: personal and family remarks.Published (redacted)
- VP-002c18 Aug 2020Revised Annexes II and III to the Terms of ReferenceExhibit 16Published
- VP-003Aug 2020Addendum 2: revised Terms of Reference, with the commitment to academic publicationExhibit 4Published
- VP-004c. 2021Voices of the People: project descriptionExhibit 3Published
II. The suppression2021–2023 · 5 documents
- VP-004aOct–Nov 2021Correspondence with the EU Delegation before the haltRemoved: third-party contact details and a personal health reference.Published (redacted)
- VP-005Nov 2021 – Jun 2022Correspondence with the EU Delegation: the halt to publicationExhibit 6Published
- VP-006-007Dec 2021 – Jan 2022Proposed Addendum 3, declined by DEMOS, and the exchange on itExhibit 9Published
- VP-0089 Aug 2022Press report: President Embaló decorates the EU AmbassadorExhibit 10Published
- VP-009Oct 2022 – Apr 2023Correspondence with the European Commission in BrusselsExhibit 7Published
III. The inquiry2024–2025 · 23 documents
- VP-010Apr 2024The petition and its signatories, as submittedExhibit 5Published
- VP-011Apr 2024Complaint to the European OmbudsmanExhibit 2APublished
- VP-01229 Apr 2024Cover letter to the Ombudsman, Emily O’ReillyItem 1APublished
- VP-012a2 May 2024Proof of delivery of the complaintHeld on file
- VP-013Jun–Jul 2024Correspondence with the Ombudsman’s office: intake of the casePublished
- VP-013b12 Jun 2024The English manuscript, as submittedTitle pages, contents and Introduction. The full manuscript is available on request.Published (excerpt)
- VP-01411 Jul 2024The Ombudsman opens an own-initiative inquiry: letter to DEMOSPublished
- VP-01511 Jul 2024The Ombudsman’s letter to the Commission, with six questionsPublished
- VP-01617 Jul 2024DEMOS welcomes the inquiryPublished
- VP-016a5 Sep 2024Report on the inquiry team’s meeting with the CommissionPublished
- VP-017Sep 2024Correspondence with the Ombudsman’s office, September 2024Published
- VP-018Oct–Nov 2024Correspondence with the Ombudsman’s office, October–November 2024Published
- VP-018a18 Oct 2024The Ombudsman sends DEMOS the meeting report, for commentPublished
- VP-0191 Nov 2024The African Studies Association writes to President von der LeyenExhibit 13Published
- VP-02020 Nov 2024Cover letter to the Ombudsman’s office, with the ResponsePublished
- VP-02120 Nov 2024DEMOS Response to the Commission’s positionsPublished
- VP-02220 Nov 2024Annexes to the Response: A, timeline of restrictions; B, points of clarificationPublished
- VP-02320 Nov 2024Budget benchmark: an Afrobarometer survey of Guinea-BissauExhibit 11Held on file
- VP-02420 Nov 2024Budget of the follow-up study, 2019–2022Exhibit 12Held on file
- VP-025Dec 2024 – Jan 2025Correspondence with the Ombudsman’s office: the timeline of the inquiryPublished
- VP-025a13 Jan 2025The Ombudsman’s four further questions to the Commission, and request to inspect its documentsPublished
- VP-025bApr 2025Correspondence: the office has “recently obtained” new material from the CommissionPublished
- VP-02613 May 2025DEMOS additional submission: revised Annex B and supporting recordPublished
- Withheld2025The Commission’s reply to the questions of 13 January 2025, and the documents it supplied laterWithheld by the institution
IV. The Decision and after2025–2026 · 3 documents
Exhibits 11 and 12 (budget worksheets) were submitted to the Ombudsman and are held on file.
Notes
- The 2020 correspondence with the EU Delegation, including WhatsApp messages (VP-002b), was sent to the Ombudsman in May 2025. By then it was clear that it explained how the August 2020 addendum was agreed.
- VP-004a covers October and November 2021, before the halt: the 400 extra copies, and the Delegation’s “we fully support your ambition for publication.” It was not among the documents sent to the Ombudsman. It is published so that readers can check the paper.
- The withheld item is logged, not archived. The Ombudsman’s letter of 13 January 2025 said the Commission’s reply was likely to be sent to DEMOS for comment. It never was.
- The English manuscript appears here as an excerpt. The full text is available to researchers and journalists on request, through the Contact page.
Downloads
38 documents: 35 published, 3 held on file. One item withheld by the institution.