Inside out

Our fortnightly digest of facts and rumours from Brussels and beyond.

Eye of the beholder

The European Court of Auditors and the European Commission each put a slightly different gloss on the outcome of the audit of the Commission’s 2010 accounts. “EU accounts reliable, but payments still affected by material error,” reads the ECA’s statement on the matter. “Another clean bill of health for EU accounts; auditors find improvements in many payment areas,” says the Commission. Take your pick.