EUROPEAN COURT OF AUDITORS

NEWSLETTER

IN THIS ISSUE

How green are the EU’s recovery funds?

Irregular migration from Africa – have the root causes been addressed satisfactorily?

Annual check on the health of the EU budget

AI takes centre stage at the first EU Summer School held in Luxembourg

COMING UP SOON

How green are the EU’s recovery funds?

Defining what constitutes “green transition” is harder than it might seem.

In May 2020, the EU launched the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) in response to the COVID pandemic, and a fund of almost €700 billion was set up to help EU countries address the socio-economic impact. More than a third (37%) of RRF funding must be spent on climate-related measures that advance the EU’s green transition, and climate targets. ECA auditors examined this aspect of the RRF to determine whether such goals had been achieved. (READ MORE)

IN THE FOCUS

Irregular migration from Africa – have the root causes been addressed satisfactorily?

EU aid is intended to address various crises in the Sahel and Lake Chad Region, the Horn of Africa and North Africa.

Migration flows from Africa to the EU have fluctuated over the years, peaking between 2014 and 2016. In October 2015, at the height of the migration crisis, the European Commission set up the European Union Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) to both address the root causes of irregular migration, instability and internal displacement in Africa, and coordinate the EU member states’ response with that of other contributors. To date, the EUTF has received over €5 billion in contributions and supported 27 countries. Following a decline in irregular migration from Africa to Europe during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is now increasing steadily. The auditors examined whether EUTF support had focused on achieving the Fund’s aims while also paying due regard to human rights. (READ MORE)

ANNUAL REPORT

Annual check on the health of the EU budget

Our auditors help improve the financial management and effectiveness of EU policies.

The EU is almost halfway through the 2021-2027 financial framework, the initial years of which were somewhat stormy. Unprecedented challenges, such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, have called for significant policy and funding responses. This makes robust financial management and oversight at all levels of the EU even more imperative. A key tool in achieving these goals is the European Court of Auditors’ (ECA) Annual Report on the EU budget. This year’s edition is due to be published on 10 October. (READ MORE)

EVENT

AI takes centre stage at the first EU Summer School held in Luxembourg

The initiative brought together staff from the EU institutions and the Luxembourg civil service, as well as academics.

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been on our radar for some time now. In May of this year, our institution published an audit report on the EU’s AI ambitions. In June, we organised a panel debate to examine the progress the EU has made in implementing AI policy. Then, in July, together with the other Luxembourg-based EU institutions and the University of Luxembourg, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) held the country’s first “EU Summer School”, which focused on how generative AI is changing our daily working lives. (READ MORE)