In December 2012, the European Council resolved to enhance the EU economic governance. The point was among others to establish a banking union, covering supervision on part of the European Central Bank and a consistent restructuring mechanism designed for banks finding themselves in financial difficulties. The stake is huge. Therefore, the Heads of the EU SAIs with the President of the European Court of Auditors (all of them being members of the so-called Contact Committee) published a joint statement. They emphasise the need to develop effective audit and accountability mechanisms in relation to the Economic and Monetary Union and economic governance of the EU.
Jacek Mazur on the Contact Committee statement
Appeal of Heads of EU SAIs
”Our recent experience with the European Stability Mechanism is worth mentioning” - says Jacek Mazur from NIK. In the original project version that potentially world's biggest financial institution with the capital of EUR 700 billion was devoid of the SAI supervision. That supervision was provided only later following clear postulates of the SAIs.
The Contact Committee statement also underlined the significance of direct relations among parliaments of individual countries and their SAIs. This is a response to the recently adopted EU legal acts which set out tasks for the national SAIs. As for now these rules are not very specific and they deal mainly with the Euro zone countries. The Contact Committee, however, observed a certain tendency there and took a stand in that matter. The body pointed out that provisions of this kind should rather be part of the legislative framework in different countries. At the same time, the EU acts should rather be issued as regulations and not Commission delegated acts. Then the national parliaments could provide them with their opinions.
The statement has been submitted to Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council. Additionally, the President of NIK has passed on a copy of that document to Prime Minister Donald Tusk with a request that Mr.Tusk, who participates in the works of the European Council as the representative of Poland, support the Contact Committee postulates at the Council meeting in June.
