Council appoints Austrian Gerald Loacker to Court of Auditors for 2026-2032 term

The Council of the European Union has appointed Gerald Loacker as a member of the European Court of Auditors for the period from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2032. The decision was adopted in Brussels on 28 September 2026 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union, L series, of 1 October 2026 as Council Decision (EU) 2026/2222. It fills the seat left vacant by the expiry of the term of office of Helga Berger.

The appointment was made under Article 286(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, the provision governing the composition of the Court. The Council acted on a proposal from the Republic of Austria and after obtaining the opinion of the European Parliament, delivered on 16 September 2026 and not yet published in the Official Journal.

The recitals of the decision set out the reasoning in three steps: the term of office of Helga Berger expired on 31 July 2026; the Republic of Austria proposed Gerald Loacker for the period from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2032; and a member should therefore be appointed to the Court of Auditors.

A six-year mandate starting on 1 October

Article 1 of the decision states that Gerald Loacker is hereby appointed as a member of the Court of Auditors for the period from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2032. Article 2 provides that the decision enters into force on the date of its adoption. The text was done at Brussels on 28 September 2026 and signed for the Council by its President, M. Heydon.

The appointment at a glance

• Adopting body: Council of the European Union
• Legal basis: Article 286(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
• Proposing authority: Republic of Austria
• Opinion obtained: European Parliament, 16 September 2026 (not yet published in the Official Journal)
• Date of adoption: 28 September 2026, Brussels
• Term of appointment: 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2032
• Outgoing member: Helga Berger, whose term expired on 31 July 2026
• Document number: 2026/2222
• Publication: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, 1 October 2026

Publication and entry into force

The decision was published in the L series of the Official Journal of the European Union of 1 October 2026 under number 2026/2222, carrying the European Legislation Identifier http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2026/2222/oj. The published text runs to a single page. Under Article 2 it entered into force on the date of its adoption, 28 September 2026, three days before the new member’s mandate began.

The appointment restores the Austrian seat on the European Court of Auditors for the next six years, with the new member taking up his duties on 1 October 2026. The decision is the formal instrument through which the Council exercises its Treaty power to appoint members of the Court, and it fixes the mandate until 30 September 2032.

Source: Official Journal of the European Union, L series, No 2026/2222, 1 October 2026 (official reference: Council Decision (EU) 2026/2222; ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/dec/2026/2222/oj).