Strategic priorities needs to be integrated better, says the European Court of Auditors
There are big differences in the extent to which the European Commission has taken into account overall EU policy priorities, according to a report published by the European Court of Auditors.
According to the Auditors, the European Union's 5 key priorities of Climate change (1 107 mentions in the legislation), digital transition (471), biodiversity's preservation (439), gender equality (275), and sustainable development (139) are present in the EU's spending programmes, but with various differences.
Climate and biodiversity priorities were mostly incorporated adequately in the EU budget with respectively 30% of the spending for the 2021-2027 period and 7,5% target in 2024 and 10% in 2026-2027, but the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the digital transition had been partially incorporated. In particular, the new report highlights that gender equality is the least well-integrated priority in the EU budget.