An interactive webinar with ESA's Industrial Ombudsman, Georges Bernède, and the Alternate to the Ombudsman, Prof. Dr. Lesley Jane Smith, will take place on 26 January 2021 at 10:00 CET.

During the webinar, which is targeted at Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, the Ombudsman (IOE) and his alternate will inform the community about the IOE's role and competences and will share some lessons learned from past cases with SMEs. Attendees will learn in which cases the Ombudsman can intervene, how to call for support, but also when the IOE cannot provide advice.

The presentation and Q&A session will last about 90 minutes.

• to learn about the role and competences of the ESA Industrial Ombudsman
• to learn in which cases the Ombudsman can be contacted and can intervene
• to learn when the Ombudsman cannot provide advice
• to learn from the Ombudsman's past experience about issues that affect the work of SMEs

The agenda of the session covers the following topics:

• Roles and main competences (points of contact, how to call for support)
• Ombudsman Regulatory Framework
• What the Ombudsman can do for you (practical examples of intervention or advice)
• What the Ombudsman cannot do for you (under which circumstances the IOE cannot advise or intervene)
• Statistics on cases
• Some advice based on prominent topics over 2013-2020

ESA Industrial Ombudsman + the Alternate to the Industrial Ombudsman

The webinar is organised in the frame of the SME Initiative programme.

In case you have registered and cannot attend the session, please inform the SME Office as early as possible by email at: sme-office@esa.int