Joint Committee on European Union Affairs to examine work of EU Court of Auditors

Chairman of the Committee Joe Costello, TD, said: “The Committee looks forward to meeting Eoin O’Shea, current Irish Member of the European Court of Auditors. In straitened financial times for the Union when value for money is of critical importance, it is timely that the Committee look at the institution tasked with appraising EU financial management.”

The meeting takes place in the aftermath of the recent publication of Court’s annual report for 2010. It highlighted a 3.7 percent estimated error rate in the EU’s overall annual budget of €122.2 billion.

Deputy Costello expressed concern around the Court’s estimated error rate for spending in the Cohesion, Energy and Transport Policy Group. “At a rate of 7.7 percent in 2010, this is the most error prone spending area in the Union. I am particularly anxious to seek an explanation from Mr O’Shea as to why the level of errors in this key area of EU spending has actually increased from 2009.”

Also addressing the committee tomorrow will be representatives from the Irish Business and Employers Confederation, the Irish Small and Medium Enterprises Association and the Small Firms Association. They will present on the European Commission’s recent Communication “A Roadmap to Stability and Growth”.

Deputy Costello continued: “We look forward to hearing the perspective of Irish business on what is the EU's growth strategy for the coming decade.

“We intend to focus the discussion tomorrow on one of the Commission’s action points - frontloading stability and growth enhancing policies through making the EU decision-making process more efficient. 

“In the midst of economic uncertainty within the Union, it is opportune to seek the advice of Irish business leaders on the Commission’s intentions to minimise barriers to free movement of money, services and people.”

The Committee will meet at 11.30a.m. on Thursday, 24th November, in Committee Room 3, Leinster House 2000.

Click to follow Committee proceedings live.

For further information please contact:
Paul Hand,
Houses of the Oireachtas,
Communications Unit,
Leinster House,
Dublin 2
P: +3531 618 4944
F: +3531 618 4551
Committee on European Union Affairs
Membership
Deputies
Joe Costello, TD (Chairman)
Paschal Donohoe, TD (Vice-Chairman)
Timmy Dooley, TD
Bernard J Durkan, TD
Colm Keaveney, TD
Seán Kyne, TD
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, TD
Joe O’Reilly, TD
Mick Wallace, TD
Senators
Colm Burke,
Fidelma Healy Eames,
James Heffernan,
Terry Leyden,
Kathryn Reilly