European Parliament Committee on Budgetary Control

Committee on Budgetary Control
AbbreviationCONT
TypeStanding committee
LegislatureEuropean Parliament
Parliamentary term10th European Parliament
ChairAndreas Schwab
EPP, Germany
Vice-ChairsCaterina Chinnici (EPP)
Cristian Terheș (ECR)
Claudiu Manda (S&D)
Jacek Protas (EPP)
Members30
Political compositionEPP: 8 · S&D: 6 · PfE: 4
ECR: 3 · Renew: 3 · Greens/EFA: 2
The Left: 2 · ESN: 1 · NI: 1
JurisdictionScrutiny of the implementation of the EU budget, financial control and the discharge procedure
WebsiteOfficial website

The Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT) is a standing committee of the European Parliament. It scrutinises the implementation of the European Union budget, examines the use of EU funds and prepares Parliament's decisions on whether to grant discharge to the institutions and bodies responsible for implementing the budget.

Responsibilities

The committee is responsible for examining the implementation of the Union budget and the accounts and balance sheets of the European Union, its institutions and bodies. It considers whether EU funds have been managed legally, efficiently and effectively and may recommend improvements intended to strengthen financial management and accountability.

Its remit includes:

The discharge procedure is one of the committee's principal responsibilities. On the basis of the annual reports of the European Court of Auditors and information supplied by the institutions concerned, the committee prepares recommendations on whether Parliament should approve, postpone or refuse discharge for the implementation of a given financial year's budget.

Chairs

The following table lists the chairs of the committee since 2004.

Name Political group Member state Took office Left office
Szabolcs Fazakas PES Hungary Hungary 2004 2006
Herbert Bösch PES Austria Austria 2007 2009
Luigi de Magistris ALDE Italy Italy 2009 2011
Jan Mulder ALDE Netherlands Netherlands 2011 2014
Ingeborg Gräßle EPP Germany Germany 2014 2019
Monika Hohlmeier EPP Germany Germany 2019 2024
Andreas Schwab EPP Germany Germany 2024 Incumbent

Members

10th Parliament, 2024–2029

The committee consists of 30 full members. Its current composition is shown below, with the chair and vice-chairs indicated in italics.

European People's Party Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats European Conservatives and Reformists Renew Europe
Patriots for Europe Greens–European Free Alliance The Left Europe of Sovereign Nations
Non-Inscrits

Substitute members

Research support

The committee's work is supported by the research services of the European Parliament. These services provide studies, briefings and other analyses concerning budgetary control, the discharge procedure, fraud prevention, financial accountability and the protection of the European Union's financial interests.

Publications prepared for the committee are made available through its online database of supporting analyses and through the European Parliament's Think Tank. The database is updated as new studies and briefings are published.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "About the Committee on Budgetary Control". European Parliament. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Powers and responsibilities of the Committee on Budgetary Control". European Parliament. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  3. ↑ "Chairs chosen". European Voice. 21 July 2004. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  4. ↑ Taylor, Simon (31 January 2007). "Committee chairs finally saddle up". European Voice. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  5. 1 2 Taylor, Simon (22 July 2009). "New-look Parliament carves up the top jobs". European Voice. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  6. ↑ "The new committee chairs". Politico Europe. 8 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 "Members – Committee on Budgetary Control". European Parliament. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  8. ↑ "Supporting analyses". European Parliament. Retrieved 10 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Latest documents – Supporting analyses – CONT". European Parliament. Retrieved 10 July 2026.