On Monday 3 June 2024, the current President of the European Court of Auditors (ECA), Mr Tony Murphy, paid an official visit to the University of Malta, where he met with a number of academics from the Faculty of Economics, Management and Accountancy (FEMA) to discuss and promote the ECA’s mission and objectives, as well as identify common areas of interest.
The session was also attended by guests from several locally-based audit firms, who have a common interest in good governance in the use of EU funds and the continual improvement of accountability and transparency.
An Irish national, Mr Tony Murphy officially assumed his role on 1 October 2022, becoming the 12th President of the ECA. He took over from Klaus-Heiner Lehne, who served as President since October of 2016. He was elected by ECA members themselves for a period of three years.
The role of the ECA is to audit the EU’s finances, a crucial task for improving accountability and transparency, and ultimately enhancing citizens’ trust. This means that the ECA basically examines revenue and spending in every area of the EU’s work, from growth and jobs to environmental policy and climate action.
ECA is a collegiate EU body of 27 Members, one from each Member State. The present Maltese Member is Dr George Marius Hyzler, former Commissioner for Standards in Public Life.
More information about the ECA can be found online.