(BRUSSELS) - The European Union ombudsman on Tuesday hailed measures announced by Euro deputies to make their system of payments to themselves and their assistants more transparent.

"Parliament has gone considerably beyond where it was in the past," Nikiforos Diamandouros told a press conference as he published his annual report on maladministration in Brussels.

The rules on MEPs' payments and allowances was "until recently almost a close-guarded secret," the EU's internal watchdog added.

To avoid a scandal ahead of European parliamentary elections next year, MEPs decided to reform their system of paying assistants following a report highlighting abuse.

Eurodeputies have agreed to publish details of allowances on the internet. Their base salaries vary from nation to nation.

Such measures "increase transparency so therefore are welcome," said Diamandouros.

The annual report said overall complaints about EU institutions fell by 16 percent last year to 3,211.

However there was a higher number of admissible complaints, rather than the inadmissable ones which are rejected at first glance.

The ombudsman put this fact down to better publicity of his role and what constitutes bad EU practice.

Diamandouros, who has served in the post since 2003, said his office had criticised the European institutions on 55 occasions in 2007.

He expressed hope that the continued lack of transparency -- including access to documents and information --- the source of 28 percent of the complaints he received, would improve.

Other inquiries concerned slow payments, abuse of power or inadequate procedures.

The biggest number of complaints came from Germany (16 percent) which led Spain (11 percent) for the first time followed by France (eight ) and Poland (seven).

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