Court of Auditors

The Court of Auditors checks that all the Union's revenue has been received and all its expenditure incurred in a lawful and regular manner and that the EU budget has been managed soundly.

The Court of Auditors was established in 1977.

The Court has one member from each EU country, appointed by the Council for a renewable term of six years. Even after enlargement there will still be one member per EU country but, for the sake of efficiency, the Court can set up "chambers" (with only a few members each) to adopt certain types of report or opinion.

In their countries of origin, the members of the Court have all worked for an auditing institution or are specifically qualified for that work. They are chosen for their competence and independence, and they work full-time for the Court.

The members elect one of their number as President for a term of three years.

The Court's main role is to check that the EU budget is correctly implemented - in other words, that EU income and expenditure is legal and above board and to ensure sound financial management. So its work helps guarantee that the EU system operates efficiently and openly.

To carry out its tasks, the Court investigates the paperwork of any organisation handling EU income or expenditure. If need be, it carries out on-the-spot checks. Its findings are written up in reports which draw the attention of the Commission and the member states to any problems.

To do its job effectively, the Court of Auditors must remain independent of the other institutions but at the same time stay in constant touch with them.

One of its key functions is to help the budgetary authority (the European Parliament and the Council) by presenting them every year with a report on the previous financial year. The comments it makes in this annual report play a very important role in Parliament's decision whether or not to approve the Commission's handling of the budget. If satisfied, the Court of Auditors also sends the Council and Parliament a statement of assurance that European taxpayers' money has been properly used.

Finally, the Court of Auditors gives an opinion before the EU's financial regulations are adopted. It can comment at any time on specific issues, or it can give an opinion at the request of one of the EU institutions.