External consultants at the European Commission: Scope for reform

Summary:

The Commission makes extensive use of external consultants, committing almost €1 billion for this purpose each year between 2017 and 2020. We analysed whether the Commission manages external consultants’ services in a way which safeguards its interests and ensures value for money. External consultants contribute to the development of the Commission’s objectives.

However, there are significant gaps in the Commission’s framework governing the use of these services, bringing risks of overdependence and potential conflicts of interest. The Commission did not manage these risks sufficiently, and its reporting on the use of consultants was weak. We make various recommendations to improve these issues.

• Alternative Source 1
• Alternative Source 2

Official

European Court of Auditors (ECA): Special report 17/2022: External consultants at the European Commission – Scope for reform https://www.eca.europa.eu/en/Pages/DocItem.aspx?did=61461

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