Presentations: ECA reports on agencies performance and the future of EU agencies

14-12-2020 - 14:25
ECA
European Court of Auditors © European Union (2020) - European Parliament

On 7.12.2020, Mr Alex Brenninkmeijer, Member of the European Court of Auditors, presented the Annual report on EU agencies for the financial year 2019 and the Special Report 22/2020: Future of EU agencies – Potential for more flexibility and cooperation to CONT Members.

Each year, the ECA examines also the accounts of all agencies set up by the EU, the revenue they receive and the payments they make. The document summarising the 2019 financial audit results for the 41 EU agencies and other EU bodies can be found here.

The EU agencies are playing an increasingly important part in the Union, but their role in serving EU citizens effectively needs to be evaluated more carefully. The ECA signed off the 2019 accounts of all but two EU agencies and confirmed the positive results it had reported in previous years. For the first time, the ECA also assessed how well the EU has enabled the agencies to deliver its policies for the public good. According to the auditors, there is a need for more networking and cooperation - as well as more flexibility in the set-up, functioning and possible winding-up of agencies.