The treaty establishing the European Community provides that members of the European Court of Auditors shall be chosen from among persons who have belonged to external audit bodies in their respective countries or who are especially qualified for the office. The treaty also provides that the European Parliament is to be consulted on appointments to the court.
It is important that the court's operation is based on sound judgement, independence and integrity as well as conforming to the highest professional standards. This is well served by having members from all member states with an intimate knowledge of their own State's administration and culture. Ideally, the members of the court also should have a mix of backgrounds and relevant experience. The current Irish member of the court, Mrs. Geoghegan-Quinn, and previous Irish members fully met the requirements for appointment to the court and have served the court with distinction.
The Deputy will be aware that the treaty provisions for the court will, like all other treaty provisions, be subsumed into the current Inter-Governmental Conference which is intended to lead to the adoption of an EU constitution. In this respect, the draft EU constitution produced by the European Convention last year retained the existing arrangements for appointing members to the court. There is a widespread consensus among member states that the existing arrangements for the court are working well and should be retained. The priority of the Irish Presidency is to do what we can to facilitate and expedite agreement on the draft EU constitution. As such, we will be seeking to consolidate and build on the existing consensus to the maximum extent possible.
I am aware of the recommendations made in the report commissioned by the Joint Committee on European Affairs. However, the Irish Government and most member states are satisfied with the structure, operation and integrity of the court. I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation of the fine work the court has done in its continued commitment to protecting the financial interests of the EU.
