Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 19 January 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on European Union Affairs

European Court of Auditors Annual Report 2020: Discussion

Mr. Tony Murphy:

Again, I think some work is already being done there. A Blue Star programme is run that addresses exactly that in secondary schools where they try to raise awareness of the whole EU project, let us say. There is work being done. The earlier people are exposed to this possibility, the better. That is a good thing.

When people move from secondary level to university, the whole focus is on the big four or the big law firms. There is probably a perception that we are all accountants in the Court of Auditors, but we actually have very few accountants. We obviously need some because we have to audit the EU accounts, but as I said, for many of the other reports we referenced earlier, we have many different requirements in terms of competence and expertise. We need lawyers, economists and people from a variety of different backgrounds. Something is being done at both levels. There is work being done at university level, but I do not know whether it could be perhaps more co-ordinated or focused or something like that. It is not easy.