The Financial Regulation is the basic text setting out the principles and procedures for establishing and implementing the EU budget, and for scrutinising EU finances.
ECA budget
The ECA is financed by the general budget of the European Union. Our budget represents less than 0.1% of total EU spending and 1.5% of total administrative spending.
You can find a description of our budget and how we implement it in the
ECA’s activity report.
Reports by the external auditor on the European Court of Auditors’ accounts
Our annual accounts are drawn up by the ECA’s Accounting Officer and are audited annually by an external auditor.
The audited annual accounts together with the external auditor’s reports are sent to the European Commission for consolidation purposes, and to the European Parliament and the Council.
Report on budgetary and financial management
This report provides an overview of the implementation of our budget and explains events which have had a significant impact on our activities. The report is sent to the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council.
Report of the authorising officer by delegation
This report contains information about how we manage our resources, and about the efficiency and effectiveness of our internal control systems. The report provides management accountability both internally within the ECA and externally to the budgetary authorities.
The report is issued by the Secretary-General each year in accordance with Article 74(9) of the Financial Regulation; it is sent to the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council as part of the annual budget discharge procedure.
ECA Sustainability Reporting
Sustainability reporting is the practice of measuring, disclosing and being accountable to internal and external stakeholders for organisational performance, while working towards the goal of sustainable development.
The ECA is committed to being a sustainable institution, and for several years we have been gradually stepping up our efforts to minimise our impact on the environment. However, sustainability is more than just greening. It is also about economic impact, ethics and governance, respect for laws and regulations and, above all, people.
In our reporting, we provide an overview of the economic, environmental and social impacts of our operations.
Internal Audit Service
The ECA’s Internal Audit Service (IAS) was created in 2002, following administrative reform and within the framework of the new Financial Regulation No 1605/2002, which introduced the principle of "sound financial management".
The appointment and function of the internal auditor are laid down in Articles 117 to 122 of the Financial Regulation No 2018/1046.
The IAS has complete independence in carrying out its audits, which cover all the institution's activities and departments. It has full and unlimited access to all the information it needs to carry out its work.
Each year, the ECA forwards a report to the European Parliament and the Council containing a summary of the number and type of internal audits carried out, the recommendations made and the actions taken on those recommendations.
Internal Audit Committee
We have also an Audit Committee responsible for internal audit issues. The Committee is composed of ECA Members and an external figure.
The current members of the Internal Audit Committee are:
