The European Court of Auditors (ECA) today published its work programme for next year, listing its upcoming audit priorities. These will cover a broad range of issues, reflecting the EU’s main challenges and key concerns: sustainable use of natural resources, growth and inclusion, migration, security and global development, the single market, and an accountable and efficient EU. The auditors will scrutinise these areas to establish whether the EU is delivering on its commitments.

The 2020 work programme provides more information on some 41 reports the ECA expects to publish in 2020, selected based on an assessment of the main risks in relation to EU spending and policy delivery. The auditors will also, for the first time, publish an annual report on the performance of EU policies. This is in addition to their annual reports on the EU budget, the European Development Funds, the Single Resolution Board, the EU agencies, the Joint Undertakings and the European Schools. They will give opinions on new or updated EU laws with financial implications.

“Although the EU’s total annual budget of some €140 billion may seem large, it represents only around 1% of the gross national income of its Member States”, said the President of the European Court of Auditors, Klaus-Heiner Lehne. “It is therefore all the more important that this budget is spent effectively, which is why our work increasingly focuses on assessing whether EU policies and programmes achieve their objectives and add value, rather than just following the established rules.”