The European Parliament on Tuesday approved the candidacy of João Leão, nominated by Portugal, for the European Court of Auditors (ECA) following a vote in the plenary session that will last until Thursday at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
João Leão received 328 votes in support, 67 against and 198 abstentions, while the Swedish TCE candidate Hans Lindblad received 498 votes in favor, 15 against and 74 abstentions.
The former finance minister was chosen by the government to fill the seat allocated to Portugal for a position that has been vacant since 2021 following the death of Joao Figueiredo.
The government proposed three candidates for the TCE appointment, in addition to João Leana, former Competition Authority president Margarida Matos Rosa and law professor José Renato Gonçalves.
João Leão was Finance Minister in António Costa’s government from June 2020 to March 2022, after serving as Secretary of State for the Budget between 2015 and 2020.
With a PhD in Economics from MIT, João Leão is Professor of Economics and Public Finance and Vice-Rector of the University Institute of Lisbon since 2022.
Both candidates were questioned and approved by the Budget Control Committee on November 29.
The final decision will be taken by EU member states in the Council.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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