Council Decision 2008/975/CFSP (repealed)Show full title

Article 39 External auditing of the accounts

1. When the implementation of ATHENA's expenditure has been entrusted to a Member State, a Community institution or an international organisation, that State, institution or organisation shall apply the rules which apply to the auditing of its own expenditure.

2. However, the administrator or persons appointed by him/her may at any time carry out an audit of the common costs of ATHENA incurred in preparation for, or further to, operations, or the operational common costs of an operation. Furthermore, the Special Committee, on the basis of a proposal by the administrator or a Member State, may at any time appoint external auditors, whose tasks and conditions of employment it shall determine.

3. With a view to external audits, a six-member college of auditors shall be established. Each year, the Special Committee shall appoint as of 1 January of the following year two members for a three-year period, renewable once, from candidates proposed by the Member States. The Special Committee may extend a member's mandate by up to six months. The candidates must be members of a national audit body in a Member State and offer adequate guarantees of security and independence. They must be available to carry out tasks on behalf of ATHENA as needed. In carrying out these tasks:

(a) the members of the college shall continue to be paid by their audit body of origin; ATHENA shall bear their mission expenses in accordance with the rules applicable to officials of the European Communities of an equivalent grade. Candidates must be members of the highest national audit body of a Member State, or recommended by that body, and must offer sufficient guarantees of security and independence;

(b) they shall neither request nor receive instructions other than from the Special Committee; within its audit mandate the College of Auditors and its members shall be completely independent and solely responsible for the conduct of the external audit;

(c) they shall only report on their task to the Special Committee;

(d) they shall check during the financial year as well as ex post, through controls on the spot as well as on supporting documents, that expenditure financed or pre-financed through ATHENA is implemented in accordance with the legislation applicable and the principles of sound financial management, i.e. in accordance with the principles of economy, effectiveness and efficiency, and that internal controls are adequate.

Each year, the College of auditors shall elect to change or extend its chairman from amongst its members. It shall adopt the rules applicable to audits carried out by its members in accordance with the highest international standards. The College of Auditors shall approve the audit reports drawn up by its members before their transmission to the administrator and to the Special Committee.

4. The Special Committee may decide on a case-by-case basis and upon specific motivations to use other external bodies.

5. The cost of the audits carried out by auditors acting on behalf of ATHENA shall be considered as a common cost to be borne by ATHENA.