Athens, 13 April 2022

Work of European Court of Auditors presented to competent parliamentary committees

 

The MPs and members of the Committees on European and Economic Affairs were briefed today by the representative of Greece at the European Court of Auditors Nikolaos Milionis, regarding the audit work of this institution, for the financial year 2020.  

In his introductory speech, the Chair of the meeting and Chair of the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Stavros Kalogiannis pointed out, inter alia, that the role of the European Court of Auditors, the guardian of EU finances, is particularly critical. He emphasised that it sees to the sound management of European resources and their economic efficiency, promoting accountability, while he underlined that this role is today more important than ever, given the growing challenges facing Europe. Mr Kalogiannis observed that national parliaments could play a decisive role in the effort to strengthen democratic legitimacy regarding the economic functioning of the EU, adding that promoting cooperation with the European Court of Auditors would boost citizen trust in the European project, thus contributing to a more resilient, sustainable and equitable EU.

During his speech, Mr Milionis referred to the development of the European Court of Auditors’ new strategy for 2021-2025, to the results of the 2020 audits, a year in which additional payment appropriations were allocated to address the coronavirus pandemic, as well as to the performance of the European budget, the work methodology and the recommendations made by the European Court of Auditors to improve the effectiveness of the funds directed to member states. Mr Milionis made special reference to individual areas of the European budget, as well as to the absorption of the structural investment funds.

Several MPs took the floor and asked questions regarding European funding in a wide range of policies.

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