Dr. Elena Lazarou, Director General of ELIAMEP, was invited to speak at the European Court of Auditors (ECA) Summer School, held in Malta from 9 to 12 June 2026. Coordinated by the Department of Policy, Politics and Governance, in collaboration with the National Audit Office and the Ministry for Finance of Malta, the Summer School brought together senior EU decision-makers, auditors, academics and practitioners to reflect on the evolving challenges facing the EU’s budgetary framework, governance arrangements and accountability systems. Attendees included officials from all EU 27 member states.
Dr. Lazarou participated in the panel discussion on Defence and Security: Financing and Auditing the New Realities alongside Antonio Cavarero, Head of Investments at Generali Asset Management, Siegfried Ruhl, Hors Classe Adviser to the Directorate-General for Budget (DG BUDG) at the European Commission, Dr. Paula Gómez- Trueba, NATO’s Performance Auditor, and Russell Caruana, Lieutenant Colonel and the Commanding Officer of the Maritime Squadron at the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM). The session was moderated by Damijan Fišer, European Court of Auditors’ (ECA) Senior Communication Officer. Dr. Lazarou discussed the latest EU defence financing, industrial and procurement initiatives, as well as the proposals for the next Multiannual Financial Framework. She emphasized the need for a total defence approach, which also focuses on security and civil defence, and the relevance of the dual-use industry. She posited that there is a need to integrate a 360-degree approach in the next European Security Strategy, in order to address threat perceptions of all EU27 and to match that with capability procurement and investment. Finally, she noted the growing need for auditors and defence experts to interact, as defence financing increases.
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