Jacob Söderman, European Ombudsman from 12 July 1995 to 1 April 2003.

Nikiforos Diamandouros, European Ombudsman from 1 April 2003 to 30 September 2013.

Meeting between Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament, and Nikiforos Dimandouros, European Ombudsman, on 23 September 2003 in Strasbourg.

In an article published in 2001 in the Revue française de science politique, Paul Magnette explains the reasons that led to the creation of the post of Ombudsman of the European Union. He also describes the role and skills of the European Ombudsman.

On 3 July 2013, Emily O’Reilly is elected as the first female European Ombudsman. She takes office on 1 October 2013.