Luxembourg, 5 May 2025
- The EU auditors produced 32 special reports and reviews last year.
- 69 further audits and reviews planned for 2025 and 2026.
- The auditors remain vigilant in a changing budgetary landscape.
Today, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) reported on its activities in 2024, providing a comprehensive picture of the work carried out by its staff and their achievements over the past year. With their observations and recommendations, the EU auditors help to ensure that public money is used properly, and that Europe sets and meets its objectives more effectively. As the EU moves beyond the midpoint of its seven-year budget, the ECA will be keeping a close eye on the path ahead.
The recent past has shown how quickly EU priorities can shift, and how rapidly the budgetary landscape can evolve as a result. In this context, the ECA remains committed to fulfilling its crucial role as the EU’s watchdog, playing a key part in ensuring that taxpayers’ money is used properly and pinpointing issues that directly affect the wellbeing of EU citizens. In 2024, the ECA continued to scrutinise EU policies and programmes, evaluate the financial management of EU funds, and assess the value for money provided by EU action.
“As the independent auditors of the EU’s finances and action, we are mindful that significant changes in how the European budget is implemented will have an impact on how we can achieve our mission”, said ECA President Tony Murphy. “While we support the aims of flexibility and simplification, it is essential that these efforts do not come at the expense of accountability and transparency.”
Although the ECA’s head office is in Luxembourg, its auditors frequently check various bodies on the spot. These include the European Commission (the ECA’s main auditee), other EU institutions and bodies, international organisations, and the national, regional, and local authorities that handle EU funds. They also check the recipients of EU money on site, both within the EU and beyond its borders. In doing so, the auditors obtain direct evidence not only from those responsible for managing EU policies and programmes and handling EU funds, but also from those who directly benefit from the money.
As a result, the EU auditors shared important conclusions and made relevant recommendations in the publications they issued last year. These included the annual reports on the EU budget and the EU agencies, as well as 28 special reports on various topics, four reviews, and three opinions on legislative proposals. These publications serve as a crucial source of information for EU citizens and policymakers, offering independent and objective analysis of key issues for the EU. Last year, the ECA’s audits covered topics such as the security of gas supplies, food labelling, artificial intelligence, climate adaptation, Rule of Law, the EU’s industrial policy on hydrogen, support for refugees, state aid in times of crisis, organic farming, zero-emission vehicles, and many more.
The ECA’s latest work programme, which was published in November last year, lists 69 audits and reviews to be carried out in 2025 and 2026. Topics under scrutiny include forest wildfires, tobacco trafficking, the supply of critical raw materials, the EU’s protected marine areas, nuclear safety cooperation, the EU’s pharma strategy, and trade sanctions against Russia. In their special reports, the auditors examine whether the objectives of selected EU policies and programmes have been met, and whether results have been achieved effectively and efficiently. They also make recommendations, identifying ways to save money, work better, avoid waste, and achieve expected policy objectives more effectively.
Background information
The ECA is the EU’s independent external audit institution. It is based in Luxembourg, and has been operating since 1977. It employs around 950 staff of all EU nationalities, with roughly equal proportions of men and women. In 2024, the ECA recruited 104 new employees and provided 64 traineeships.
The ECA exists to help to improve the EU’s financial management, promote accountability and transparency, and make sure that EU policies and programmes achieve their intended objectives while delivering value for money. The ECA warns of risks, provides assurance, highlights shortcomings and successes, and offers guidance to EU policymakers and legislators. It works closely with the European Parliament, the Council, national/regional parliaments, and member state governments, as the impact of its work depends largely on the use these bodies make of its audit findings and recommendations.
Related links
Source – ECA