Watchdog sees fault in EU Commission tobacco contacts

FILE PHOTO: An ash tray with cigarette butts is pictured in Hinzenbach, in the Austrian province of Upper Austria, February 5, 2012. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European ombudsman has made an initial finding that the European Commission's failure to be fully transparent about its meetings with the tobacco industry constitutes maladministration and is demanding an answer within three months.

In a letter to the Commission made public on Tuesday, ombudsman Emily O'Reilly shared preliminary conclusions from her team's inquiry into EU executive contacts with tobacco interest representatives in 2020 and 2021, a follow-up to an earlier study concluded in 2016.