Words of wisdom from the European Court of Auditors

Alex Brenninkmeijer, former National Ombudsman, is now a member of the European Court of Auditors. He audits the functioning of the European Union Institutions. Furthermore he thinks that institutions should learn from their experiences and that the European Court of Auditors should have a positive tone.

Can you tell us something about yourself, your academic background and career?
During my law studies in Groningen, I became interested in economics. I followed all possible economic courses and dedicated my thesis to a topic on economics. Even before I graduated as a lawyer, I had my first degree in teaching economics. Thereafter, my career has followed two tracks. On one hand, I worked at several Universities (in Groningen, Nijmegen, Tilburg and Amsterdam). At the same time, I developed my career in jurisdiction and became a judge. Next, in the 90s, I became a dean in Leiden. Thereafter, I applied for the position of National Ombudsman, which I held from 2005 to 2013. Finally the Minister of Finance asked me if I would be available to be nominated as the Dutch member for the European Court of Auditors (ECA).

 Why did you decide to accept this offer?
As an Ombudsman, you have a certain durability. After eight years, it seemed like an excellent opportunity to do something else and to work internationally. Also, I have always had an interest in the European Court of Auditors. Actually both jobs are connected, as a National Ombudsman you start with individual complaints and look at the structural problems underlying those while at the Court of Auditors you directly focus on the structural problems.

 What is the biggest difference between both jobs?
The biggest difference is the national vs. the international character of the jobs. It is also a big difference whether you work in a college of 28 or alone. Working alone gives more flexibility. I think that this job, in a college of 28, is a lot more bureaucratic.  If I and my colleagues agree on a particular matter, it will still take around two years before anything in that matter will happen.

What would you have done differently in your career with the knowledge you have now?
When I graduated from the University of Groningen, I thought about applying for the European Personnel Selection Office (EPSO). In the end I decided against this because when I graduated in 1976, it was not very common to work overseas. I think that, looking backwards, I should have studied or worked abroad.  And that is the only thing I would have done differently since I am actually very satisfied with my career.  I think it has progressed well and I have had opportunities to work in diverse fields.

Can you describe in short the function of the European Court of Auditors and your role in it?
The European Court of Auditors has the primary task to check whether the budget of European Union equivalent to €140 billion, has been spent in accordance to the laws and regulations. We publish a report on this every year. The second important task is to research the expediency/ performance of the European Union Institutions. This means that we publish several special reports about specific subjects, where we research whether the targeted results are achieved with as little EU-money as possible.  I work in Chamber IV, this Chamber audits the functioning of the European Union Institutions. At present, I am working on a report on research and innovation and another one on process of inviting tenders by the European Union Institutions. For the second one, for example, we check whether the process is implemented according to the procedures with the intention to maximize value for money. The banking supervision with all stability mechanisms for the euro are also a part of Chamber IV. This is in addition to monitoring whether the European oversight body on rating agencies is working efficiently.

How does a normal workweek look like for you?
Once every week/two weeks, I have a meeting with the other members of Chamber IV.  During this meeting, we discuss reports like the ones described previously alongside our systematic research on the regularity of the expenses of Europe. In this regard, after the summer, we will prepare our annual report. I am mainly responsible for the chapter regarding research and innovation. Furthermore, I congregate every two weeks with the college of the Court of Auditors that comprises of 28 members from the different member states.  Beyond this, I am also involved in regular discussions with groups of auditors in the context of special researches and I have a lot of external meetings. Recently, for example, I was at the Ministry of Economic Affairs in Luxembourg to discuss their experience regarding the administrative burdens in connection with requesting European money and justifying it. This is a subject matter that I have initiated myself.

 Can you decide yourself what researches you perform?
There is an annual program in which most important topics are listed. If I have complied with these obligations, then I am allowed to take care of other subjects. But this does not mean that I can plainly appeal to auditors within our organization, I have to work along with my cabinet upon these subjects. If its result is of sufficient importance, we can bring it to the college and it can potentially be adopted as a decision by the Court of Auditors.

What do you find the most difficult in your current job?
For me, the exciting question is: “Is the work we do something that has an impact and social significance?” When I started at the Court, I was very critical in this matter because I thought our reports are written in too complicated language and the European Commission does not seem to utilize our reports extensively.

How would you like to see the European Court of Auditors and its work develop?
The work of the European Court of Auditors should be part of a learning circle. The European Union Institutions should be fed with pulses to strengthen the quality of their work in the context of financial accountability. It should not be the case that we are a sort of broken gramophone record that repeatedly gives the message: ‘’There are too many mistakes being made in the expenses of the European money”.  I think it is important to think “where?”, “how?” and “what are the risks?”  It is also essential that the European Court of Auditors does not have a negative tone all the time because then there is a potential for losing relevance with our audience.  You can better stimulate positively and think along. I have experienced, as an Ombudsman, that you can exercise good influence like this.

What is the biggest, most urgent problem of the Dutch government?
That is very simple: trust in the civilian. Make use of stimulation tools so that you do not have to check everything and assume that most people are trustworthy. There are a lot of rules to control and also a lot of sanctions.  This puts a big pressure on the society which is often not justified.

Finally, what advice would you like to give to the students of Tilburg University?
Every morning, stand in front of the mirror and ask yourself the question: “Why am I doing what I am doing?”