The European Court of Auditors

European Community

The treaty establishing the European Community confers upon the European Court of Auditors the main task of auditing the accounts and the implementation of the budget of the European Union. This with the dual aim of improving financial management and the reporting to the citizens of Europe on the use made of public funds by authorities responsible for their management.

Court of auditors on stamp

The court of auditors was established in Luxembourg in 1977 and consists of a college of 15 highly qualified independent members originating from the 15 member states and appointed for a term of six years. The Court has a staff of approximately 550, of whom about 250 are auditors.

Court of Auditors

The European Court of Auditor's independence visa the other Community institutions and the member states guarantees the objectivity of its audit work.
The Court of Auditors examines whether EU budgetary revenue has been received and the corresponding expenditure incurred in a legal and regular manner. It thus helps to guarantee the citizens of Europe that the EU budget had been managed and implemented regularly and as effectively as possible.
The Court keeps the public informed of its work and results through its reports which are available on the Court's Internet site. The Court of Auditors' audit reports form an important part of the discharge procedure. They addressed to the discharge authority, which takes them into account when deciding whether discharge may be granted to the Commission in respect of budgetary management for the financial year in question. The Court of Auditors has no juridical powers. When auditors discover cases of fraud or irregularities, the information obtained is communicated to the Community bodies responsible in order that they may take the appropriate action.
Date of issue: 5 March 2002

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