Magazine No. 26 - 2021 83 Studies and other articles HOW THE EUROPEAN COURT OF AUDITORS TURNED THE NEW COVID-19 REALITY INTO AN OPPORTUNITY Leo Brincat Member of the European Court of Auditors When the COVID-19 pandemic first struck the European Union and its Member States in March 2020, we soon realised that business as usual was no longer possible for us as an institution. Our Members and staff reacted promptly, and adapted in real time to the restrictions imposed upon citizens and businesses by a public health crisis that had a direct and profound impact on the way we live and work. Our greatest challenge was to transform our working environment in such a way as to ensure maximum productivity and business continuity, while prioritising the health and safety of our staff. From the earliest days of the pandemic, our whole institution had to adapt to new ways of working, while attempting to strike a balance between working from home and being in the office. Various administrative measures were taken to mitigate and manage the impact of COVID‑19 at the European Court of Auditors. In preparing for the post-COVID era, we have taken regular account of the views of our staff and managers, while keeping track of the ways other EU institutions have approached the situation. An in-house Crisis Management Committee and a Business Continuity Manager played a pivotal role in our approach. The effectiveness of our Business Continuity Plan was gauged by the scope it allowed for swift action, in full compliance with our host government’s instructions and in step with the other EU institutions based in Luxembourg. We also set up a highly effective COVID-19 Technical Cell, which constantly monitored the situation and issued regular staff notices. The Cell also advised our Crisis Management Committee and supported the Court itself in its decision-making process. Our Medical Service was involved in the process at all times, the aim being to guarantee our staff’s wellbeing. The support of our IT staff was vital in helping us to manage the switch to 100% teleworking without having to suspend our activities for a single day. They also made our work much easier by facilitating digital connectivity. Although most of our on-the-spot audit missions to areas with a high COVID-19 risk were put on hold, we ensured the quality and output of our work by performing alternative audit procedures where practical and possible, thus minimising any limitations on their impact. Videoconferencing both internally and with external stakeholders facilitated our work while we continued to develop new solutions for hybrid meetings at various operational levels. Training opportunities were offered in the form of various webinars and online conferences, including specific events with a focus on subjects related to the crisis. Our range of e‑learning courses was considerably extended. Although the initial stages of the pandemic required us to work remotely on a full-time basis, effective administrative action enabled us to return to the office gradually as from mid-June 2020, under strictly controlled conditions and in initially limited numbers.
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