The EESC welcomes the European Court of Auditors' report and its recommendations aimed at optimising the impact of EESC opinions

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) acknowledges the European Court of Auditors’ (ECA) performance audit report on the EU advisory bodies – the EESC and the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) – and values its recommendations.

The ECA's report is a standard performance audit related to the functioning of the two Committees, carried out as a part of the Court's role in regularly auditing all EU bodies and in line with Article 287 (4) of the Treaty on the functioning of the EU.

The EESC is pleased that the audit report recognises its capacity to deliver quality and timely opinions, grounded in its working method of dynamic compromise. This is achieved by broad consensus-building across its three constituent Groups (Employers, Workers and Civil Society Organisations). 

As the institutional voice of organised civil society, the EESC contributes to EU decision‑making through this inclusive approach.

'The EESC welcomes the Court of Auditors’ report which recognises the value of our broad consensus-building approach and presents recommendations to further strengthen how the EESC’s impact and performance can be both delivered and measured. The EESC will fully implement these recommendations with a view to reinforcing the Committee’s contribution to participatory democracy on behalf of organised civil society,” EESC president Séamus Boland said.

The EESC supports the Court’s concrete recommendations to further improve its working methods and will fully implement all of the Court’s recommendations, notably as regards:

• strengthening the monitoring of deadlines and introducing relevant performance indicators; 
• developing a structured approach to tracking and measuring the impact of the Committee’s political work;
• enhancing the process for the selection of external experts.

The EESC notes with appreciation the Court’s observations on the need to reinforce Committee-wide long-term strategic thematic planning and considers these recommendations fully aligned with the vision and underlying actions initiated by the Committee since early 2024.

The ECA said its audit aims to support both the EESC and the CoR by assessing their performance, as both have recently begun new terms of office and renewed their cooperation agreements with the European Parliament and the European Commission. ECA's findings should help strengthen the process of opinion production of both bodies, which is also relevant for other legislative institutions and external stakeholders, the Court said in its report.

Throughout the audit process, the EESC engaged constructively and collegially with the ECA audit team to ensure that the audit provided an opportunity to further strengthen how the EESC delivers positive input to EU policymaking and participatory democracy. 

The European Court of Auditors plays a key role in strengthening the quality and performance of European Union institutions. Through its independent analyses and recommendations, it helps identify structural weaknesses, improve decision-making processes, and promote a culture of accountability and continuous learning within EU bodies.