Between February 2020 and July 2021, the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union, the European Commission and the Court of Justice of the European Union have shown resilience in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, responding “rapidly and flexibly” thanks to investments already made in digital transformation, the European Court of Auditors said in a report published on Thursday 1 September.
To assess the resilience of these EU institutions, the European auditors looked at their level of preparedness, how they handled the Covid-19 pandemic and the lessons they learned.
“We believe that during these two particularly difficult years, the EU bodies have demonstrated that they are resilient, as they have been able to learn from a crisis and emerge stronger”, said Marek Opioła, a member of the Court, in a statement.
In spring 2020, the EU institutions triggered their business continuity plans and adapted them to a long-term health crisis. With “success”, says the Court, noting the conclusion of major dossiers such as the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework and the Next Generation EU recovery plan.
However, due to different expertise, coordination between EU institutions has been “limited”, according to the Court of Auditors, which points to the lack of an inter-institutional “consultation forum” in the continuity plans.
The EU institutions audited managed to offer teleworking solutions to all their staff within six weeks. And the pandemic has accelerated the deployment of digital tools (paperless workflows, use of electronic signatures and invoicing). But the digital transformation of the European institutions’ internal administrative processes “is still a work in progress”, particularly concerning “electronic invoicing”, explained the European Court of Auditors.
The auditors recommend that lessons are learnt from using new ways of working, including the budgetary and environmental implications. According to the Court, substantial savings can be made by reducing travel costs and costs related to office buildings. Similarly, changes in travel patterns, building design and the expansion of teleworking can help reduce the environmental impact of the EU institutions.
Based on its assessment, the Court recommends that the four institutions audited: - include long-term disruption and provisions for interinstitutional cooperation in their business continuity plans; - further develop the digitalisation of administrative services; - assess the suitability of new ways of working in the post-Covid-19 environment.
See the European Court of Auditors’ report: https://aeur.eu/f/2wd (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)