BRUSSELS. The Italian government's choice to appoint the accounting magistrate Carlo Alberto Manfredi Selvaggi, current head of the Pnrr mission structure and former president of the Section of the Italian Court of Auditors, as judge of the European Court of Auditors is also creating a lot of discontent in Brussels. A decision, wanted by the minister Raffaele Fitto, who had already raised controversy in Rome because the government had ignored the two names suggested, as per practice, by the accounting judges (who had proposed Giovanni Coppola and Maria Annunziata Rucireta), so much so that the Democratic Party already presented a parliamentary question with the head of Justice, Debora Serracchiani. But now, in fact, the conflict moves to Brussels.
The nomination process has already been examined by the Council of the EU, but now the EU Parliament will have to express its opinion and the MEPs are ready to “grill”, as they say in jargon, the Italian candidate. Among the questions raised in the informal contacts between the members of the Committee for Budgetary Control (Cont) are Manfredi Selvaggi's lack of international experience, but above all the doubts relating to the appropriateness of this appointment. The European Court of Auditors has the task of supervising the spending of European funds in the member states, including those of the Next Generation EU, and the fact of indicating as an Italian judge the very expert who today heads the Pnrr mission structure raises some doubts about the independence that European accounting judges should ensure. Although, obviously, the candidate will leave his current position once elected.
The hearing before the Cont commission is scheduled for February 22nd. MEPs will question the candidate, after which they will express their opinion through a vote. The new Italian judge at the Court of Auditors should take office from 1 March, replacing judge Pietro Russo, in his second term.
The judgment of the European Parliament is not binding, but a rejection would certainly be a slap in the face to the Italian government. At the moment the vote seems to be in the balance, given that socialists, greens, left and Five Star intend to vote against, probably also the liberals. The balance should tip the scales with the EPP. “We will listen to Manfredi Selvaggi's hearing, but our orientation is to vote against his nomination – explains Sabrina Pignedoli, M5S MEP -. It is clear that the government would like to control the controller after the correct findings on the use and delays in use of Pnrr funds. The European Court of Auditors needs independent figures and not officials recommended by politics”.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is waiting for “internal” clarifications from Minister Fitto. “We would like to know from the Minister for European Affairs why, for the first time in our country, the Italian government did not intend to follow the indications of the Court of Auditors regarding the identification of the name as an Italian member for the EU Court of Auditors” Serracchiani wrote in his question. “As a matter of practice – he continues – the Italian Court of Auditors has always indicated the Italian component and the governments have proceeded with the formal presentation of the name. This time, however, we witnessed a rather unusual choice.”
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