Europees Parlement keurt benoeming zeven nieuwe leden Europese Rekenkamer goed (en)

The House voted (by secret ballot) to approve seven Members of the Court of Auditors. MEPs in the Budgetary Control Committee had already given a favourable opinion of all the candidates but called for the appointment procedure to be reviewed, as Parliament is at present only consulted on the names put forward by the Council.

With the mandate of seven Members of the Court expiring on 31 December 2007, the Budgetary Control Committee interviewed David Bostock (United Kingdom), Michel Cretin (France), Maarten Engwirda i (Netherlands), Henri Grethen (Luxembourg), Harald Noack (Germany), Ioannis Sarmas (Greece) and Hubert Weber (Austria).

In the reports by Ines Ayala-Sender (PES, ES) which will be forwarded to the plenary so that the consultation procedure can be completed, MEPs stress their wish for the criteria for these appointments to be revised, partly because of difficulties encountered in past procedures.

"Closer cooperation is needed between Parliament and Council on the appointment procedure", said the rapporteur and Herbert Bösch (PES, AT), chair of the committee. "A more efficient and coherent procedure is needed in Parliament's view and the EP would also like to receive the information on the candidates sufficiently far in advance".

NB: Messrs Weber, Bostock, Sarmas and Engwirda were being re-appointed