Marta Andreasen, an Argentine-born Spanish accountant and former PricewaterhouseCoopers auditor, became the European Commission’s chief accountant in January 2002—the first professional accountant hired for the role. She argued that the Commission’s accounting system was outdated and insufficiently controlled, leaving it vulnerable to potential fraud. After raising concerns with her superior, Commissioner Michaele Schreyer, Commission President Romano Prodi, and members of the European Parliament’s Budget Control Committee, Andreasen refused to sign off on the Commission’s 2001 accounts.
The Commission suspended her in May 2002, citing alleged breaches of staff rules, including insufficient loyalty and respect, and she later lost her position. Andreasen went public on 1 August 2002, framing the disciplinary action as retaliation for refusing to certify unreliable accounts; that characterization was contested by Commission officials. During the 2003 discharge procedure, the Commission promised comprehensive accounting reform. The source does not establish that fraud occurred or quantify losses, but the episode exposed governance weaknesses in the EU’s financial-control infrastructure and made whistleblower protection and independent auditing central issues in the aftermath.
