Strasbourg - The European Parliament has endorsed Jorg Kristijan Petrovič, Slovenia's candidate for the European Court of Auditors. Wednesday's non-binding vote was 487 in favour and 196 against with 11 abstentions.

The endorsement came after Petrovič, currently the first deputy president of the Slovenian Court of Audit, assured MEPs of his political independence and impartiality at his hearing before the Parliament's Committee on Budgetary Control on 10 January.

Petrovič, who was nominated by the government for the post even though the parliamentary EU Affairs Committee voted against the proposal, told MEPs that he had never been a member of a political party and had spent most of his professional career auditing public spending in Slovenia.

Having a master's degree in accounting and auditing, Petrovič has served as first deputy president of the Slovenian Court of Audit since 2013. Prior to that, he was supreme state auditor for nine years.

On the European Court of Auditors he will succeed Samo Jereb, whose term ends in early May.