Tony Murphy, as President of the European Court of Auditors, occupies a powerful position at the heart of the EU, giving him unparalleled insight into how the Union translates political ambition into action. Through regular engagement with senior figures across the European institutions and member states, he sees up close how priorities are set and how the EU maintains cohesion (or not) when crises compound.

In this talk, Murphy explains how the ECA contributes to the Union’s strength by scrutinising EU financial expenditure, following the money across programmes to assess whether resources are being used as intended and whether promises are kept. The talk also focuses on the emerging foreign policy challenges facing the EU, as it confronts simultaneous demands on security and defence, competitiveness and energy security, while operating in a constrained fiscal environment. Murphy offers an inside perspective on what these pressures mean for how the Union governs, how it safeguards legitimacy, and what will determine whether Europe can stay effective and united in turbulent times.