Lords question European finance watchdogs as part of investigation into EU water aid to Africa
Two senior officials from the European Court of Auditors (ECA) are to appear before the House of Lords EU Sub-Committee on External Affairs as part of its inquiry into water aid to sub-Saharan African countries (known as the WASH programme).
On Thursday 27 June the committee will ask David Bostock and Sabine Hiernaux-Fritsch about their audit from 2012, in which they found that fewer than half of the 23 sampled projects satisfactorily ‘delivered results that met the beneficiaries' needs'.
The committee will also question the ECA officials on:
- whether there are practical changes that the European Commission could or should make to ensure the financial sustainability of projects;
- the EU's coordination with other international actors, such as the UN, in the WASH sector;
- whether the ECA intends to follow up on the implementation of its recommendations; and
- the response by the Commission and the Council to the report, and how satisfactory this was.
The evidence session will take place at 10.05, Thursday 27 June in Committee Room 1 of the House of Lords.
