freedom of religion or belief outside the EU, who told the Pakistani government that the outcome of Bibi's case is going to be directly linked to trade favors the EU bestows upon Pakistan.". Furthermore, Figeľ final report on his activities contained several inaccuracies and diplomatic mistakes In 2020, several MEPs reiterated in a public letter to new Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen their concerns about the conduct of Figeľ as special envoy, in particularly his "association with religious-extremist organisations from the fringes of Christianity, which actively pursue an anti-choice agenda, targeting in particular LGBTI and women's rights around the world." The same MEPs said they had lodged a complaint with the European Ombudsman, to whom Figeľ's office had not provided information in due time. The MEPs noted that his role as Mimica's special adviser blurred the lines of accountability with the European Parliament. The MEPs also called for any future such special envoy to equally speak up for persecuted atheists and apostates. On 30 July 2020, European Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly issued a decision on the complaint raised to her by the same MEPs. The Ombudsman noted found "surprising" that the mandate and work plan of the Special Envoy are not publicly available, noted that it is unclear how far he had the mandate to speak on behalf of the Commission and the EU, and called on the commission to provide more guidance and closer scrutiny on the work of future Special Envoys: "greater attention should have been paid to the risk from the perception of this highly sensitive post being exploited given the clashes that can emerge between freedom of religion and belief and other fundamental rights and freedoms." She noted that, in line with the EU's 2013 guidelines on the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief which reject any religion or belief-based justification for violations of human rights (such as those affecting women, members of minorities, and LGBTI persons), "It is therefore important that the Special Envoy avoid any perception of being instrumentalised by organisations that may use the promotion of freedom of religion to advance agendas that are contrary to the EU’s commitment to international human rights standards. A failure to do so also risks undermining the important work of protecting those who are persecuted around the world because of their religious or other beliefs." References External links Personal blog European Commission |- |-