The European Court of Auditors (ECA) is the external auditor of the European Union that guards EU finances. On 13th November, in the auditorium of the Old Library of the University of Warsaw, students and university employees attended a meeting with Tony Murphy, President of the ECA.

The European Court of Auditors is an institution of the European Union which deals with controlling the correct collection and use of EU funds and with helping to improve the management of European finances. It acts as an external independent auditor. The Court’s chambers are composed of members appointed by the Council, after consulting the Parliament – one from each member state. Their term of office is six years. The members elect a President from among themselves for a three-year term.

The current President of the ECA is Tony Murphy, a native of Ireland. His responsibilities as President, include the ECA’s institutional strategy, planning and managing the achievement of objectives, outreach activities, as well as legal issues or internal audit. Tony Murphy has more than 30 years of experience in audit matters.

A key institution

On 13th November, a meeting with representatives of the European Court of Auditors – Tony Murphy, the President of the ECA, and Marek Opioła, representative of Poland at the ECA – was held in the auditorium of the Old Library of the University of Warsaw. The event was opened by Prof. Maciej Raś, UW Vice-Rector for Student Affairs and Quality of Teaching and Learning.

“I am delighted that such distinguished guests have visited the University. This is a great opportunity for our students, who have the chance to learn how one of the key institutions in the European Union operates and to be inspired to take further action in the European sphere,” Prof. Maciej Raś, the UW Vice-Rector, said.

The event was organised by the UW’s Centre for Europe. “In addition to controlling expenditure, an important role of the ECA is to make recommendations for even better spending of EU money. This is crucial in the context of the many challenges that the EU is now facing,” Prof. Kamil Zajączkowski, Director of the UW’s Centre for Europe, said.

In his lecture, Tony Murphy, President of the ECA, referred to the activities of the Court by presenting its structure and tasks and talked about the internship opportunities offered by the ECA. He also discussed the challenges faced by the EU, including the impact of artificial intelligence. After the lecture, students had the opportunity to ask questions.