Controversiële Slowaakse kandidaat toch benoemd als lid Europese Rekenkamer (en)

EUOBSERVER / BRUSSELS - EU member states on Friday unanimously accepted the members of the Court of Auditors from the new member states despite a plea from the parliament not to accept the Slovak candidate.

MEPs had rejected the Slovak nominess, Július Molnár, last Wednesday (5 May) citing his lack of experience in the field of financial management and control.

Parliamentarians have reacted angrily to the move by member states.

"I am disappointed but not surprised", said UK Conservative MEP Chris Heaton-Harris. "It underlines the fact that the council does not pay any attention to what the Parliament does".

Dutch Socialist MEP Michiel van Hulten also wrote to the Irish EU Presidency yesterday asking for the assembly's concerns to be taken on board.

The new members will start working next week at the Court of Auditors in Luxembourg, where they are also expected to have their first working meeting on Thursday.

The new members of the EU's financial watchdog are:

Jan Kinst (Czech Republic)

Kersti Kaljulaid (Estonia)

Igors Ludborzs (Latvia)

Irena Petruskeviciene (Lithuania)

Gejza Zsolt Halász (Hungary)

Josef Bonnici (Malta)

Jacek Uczkiewicz (Poland)

Vojko A. Antoncic (Slovenia)

Július Molnár (Slovakia)

Cyprus still has to come up with their candidate as their previous nominee, Constantinos Karmios, withdrew his candidacy following a negative vote by the budgetary control committee.