2020 was a year like no other, marked by particularly difficult and sometimes destabilising moments. But these moment never proved to be entirely insuperable. The European Court of Auditors (ECA) coped very well with all the challenges, as shown in its activity report, which is published today.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis in early 2020 did not prevent the ECA from auditing the performance and regularity of EU actions. Business continuity was maintained throughout the year. The ECA continued to provide EU citizens and policymakers with independent assessments on key issues, highlighting what had worked well and drawing attention to what had not.
“Also for us as EU auditors, there is a time ‘before’ and a time ‘after’ the COVID-19 crisis. 2020 has changed the way we work. 2020 has also been a turning point in EU finances: over the next seven years, the EU will be able to spend €1.8 trillion, of which €750 billion will be spent in direct response to the COVID-19 crisis. We are being entrusted with major new responsibilities”, said ECA President Klaus-Heiner Lehne. “You can rest assured that we will do everything we can to continue fulfilling our role as the EU’s independent external auditor to protect European taxpayers’ interests.”