KEVIN CARDIFF may still be approved as a nominee to the European Court of Auditors.<
THE secretary general of the Department of Finance was nominated by the Government but his appointment was cast into doubt last night when the European Parliament budget control committee rejected him by just one vote.
However, he may be approved when the full European Parliament votes in a secret ballot on his nomination, and that of seven others from other EU countries, in Strasbourg on December 13.
The court is an independent body, with an auditor from each of the 27 EU members with relevant qualifications.
They are nominated by their governments but need the approval of the European Parliament before taking up the job. The contract is for seven years with an annual salary of about €180,000.
Court members ensure EU taxpayers get best value for their money.
They also carry out checks on all EU bodies. They produce an annual report on the previous financial year which is presented to the European Parliament and the council representing the states.
There has been much controversy surrounding this report in the past when the court refused to give the accounts the all-clear.
They are also obliged, if they discover fraud or irregularities, to refer it to the EU’s anti-fraud office.
The court is based in Luxembourg and has about 800 staff, including translators and administrators.
The current Irish auditor is Eoin O’Shea, an accountant and barrister appointed by Fianna Fáil to serve out the rest of Máire Geoghegan Quinn’s term after she became a member of the European Commission.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Thursday, November 24, 2011
