EU auditors identify oversight gaps in the next seven-year budget plan
A review finds the Commission’s proposals fully address one of 28 opportunities the auditors previously identified.
The European Court of Auditors has assessed how the European Commission’s proposed 2028–34 budget responds to concerns it raised before the plan was published. Its November 10 review found one of 28 opportunities fully addressed, 19 partly addressed and eight still outstanding.
The proposal would shrink the number of budget headings from seven to four and the number of programmes from 52 to 16. It would also bring several areas of spending into a fund built around partnership plans for individual member states.
The auditors found the strongest response in provisions to give the budget more flexibility. They found less progress on safeguards for financing where payments are tied to criteria other than the costs incurred. The review assesses draft legislation while negotiations continue, so its findings concern how the proposed system would work.