European Parliament backs Lithuanian candidate for Court of Auditors

VILNIUS – The European Parliament on Tuesday endorsed the nomination of Laima Liucija Andrikiene, chairwoman of the Lithuanian parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs, to join the European Court of Auditors (ECA).

The European Parliament said in a press release that 367 MEPs voted in favor of Andrikiene’s candidacy, 205 against, and 64 abstained.

The ECA's members are appointed by the EU Council for a six-year term, after consulting the European Parliament.

Andrikiene of the conservative Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats is being delegated for the position after the term of Lithuania's previous representative, Rimantas Sadzius, expired in May.

The lawmaker has said that her experience in the European Parliament gives her a good understanding of how the ECA works.

She has five years of experience as a member of the European Parliament's Budget Committee, which is the main source of queries and questions to the ECA on the implementation of the EU budget. 

The Luxembourg-based court's mission is to supervise and audit the EU's budget in terms of both revenue and spending. It also ensures that EU funds are spent properly and in accordance with the rules and makes recommendations to the European Commission and national governments.