More important than ever – EU agencies in times of crisis. EIPA briefing November 2020.

Kaeding, Michael (2020) More important than ever – EU agencies in times of crisis. EIPA briefing November 2020. UNSPECIFIED.

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Abstract

The latest European Court of Auditors (ECA) Special Report on EU agencies is worth a thorough read. This audit is the first overall assessment of the conditions put in place to ensure that EU agencies are effectively delivering policies to the benefit of all citizens. In brief, the ECA finds that ‘EU agencies are playing an increasingly important part in the Union, but their role in serving EU citizens effectively needs to be evaluated more carefully’. Consequently, the Commission and the agencies should: ensure the relevance, coherence and flexibility of the set-up of agencies; allocate resources in a more flexible manner; improve governance, accountability and reporting on performance; and strengthen the role of agencies as centres of expertise and networking. The ECA’s special audit comes at a time when EU agencies are considered more than ever to be solutions to European problems. With more and more agencies all over Europe and their increasing prominence in terms of power, visibility, staff and budget, one needs to understand what agencies are and how to work with them in order to contribute to a functioning European Union in times of crisis.

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