Importance of cooperation among EU Supreme Audit Institutions to be highlighted in Riga
On 18-19 June, at the Radisson Blu Hotel Latvia the cooperation platform of the Supreme Audit Institutions of the EU and the European Court of Auditors - the Contact Committee - will meet in Riga. The meeting will be attended by the Heads of the Supreme Audit Institutions of the EU Member States and five candidate countries, representatives from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank, and the President of the European Court of Auditors, Mr Vítor Caldeira. The European Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (EUROSAI) will be represented at the meeting as an observer. The meeting is organised by the State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia.
‟This is a time of challenges and for seeking new solutions. Our task is to strengthen the financial management and good governance of the European Union, a goal that we can only achieve by working together, while promoting the exchange of best practice and the expertise of professionals in the external audit community," stresses the Auditor General of the Republic of Latvia, Ms Elita Krūmiņa, before the upcoming meeting of the Contact Committee in Riga.
The topics discussed at the Contact Committee meeting will be: the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI); preventing and combatting irregularities and fraud in cooperation with law enforcement bodies; and the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework. EFSI and issues related to the establishment of this framework are of considerable importance in the context of supervising public spending and external audit practice. EFSI is the core element of the Investment Plan for Europe, so its successful implementation is not possible without careful supervision of the efficient use of resources.
While discussing how to prevent and combat irregularities and fraud in cooperation with law enforcement bodies, the Supreme Audit Institutions will share their examples of best practice so that corruption and systematic discrepancies in the use of financial resources in the public sector can be reduced in the most effective possible way. With regard to the 2014-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework, a representative from the European Court of Auditors will present an overview that evaluates the EU budget and the risks to financial supervision. As these topics are timely and important for the whole European Union, the common vision of the Contact Committee and the solutions proposed will have particular added value.
The Contact Committee is of key importance not only for promoting mutual cooperation, but also for increasing the efficiency of the Supreme Audit Institutions of the EU Member States. Successful economic growth, sustainability and further development in each EU Member State depend on further progress in professional cooperation and development among the Supreme Audit Institutions.
The State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia is a full-fledged member of the Contact Committee of the Supreme Audit Institutions of the EU and the European Court of Auditors since 1 May 2004. Latvia holds the Chair of the Contact Committee since 16 October 2014.