From 15 to 17 October 2024, a high-level meeting of the Contact Committee of the Supreme Audit Institutions of the European Union (EU) and a conference on independence issues took place in Cyprus. It was attended by Auditors General of EU Member States, as well as representatives of EU institutions to discuss critical issues regarding EU migration policy and strengthening the independence of SAIs. Latvia was represented at this meeting by Mr Gatis Litvins, Council Member of the State Audit Office of Latvia.
The focus of the meeting was on discussions on the EU migration policy, especially analysing the current activities and future perspectives in connection with the new EU Pact on Migration and Asylum. The working sessions were addressed by Ms Corinna Ullrich, representative of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, and Mr Nicholas A. Ioannidis, Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection of Cyprus, who highlighted both the EU and national perspectives on migration issues. The discussion was supplemented by a representative of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and a representative of the International Organization for Migration, who emphasised the impact of migration on sustainable development and the importance of civic society.
When considering the challenges and opportunities of migration in the panel discussions from the perspective of SAI’s, their role in the effective implementation and monitoring of the EU migration policy was analysed, as well as the potential of migration in reducing labour market deficiencies was discussed. Mr Gatis Litvins shared the experience of the State Audit Office of Latvia by presenting audits on asylum policy, immigration control and border infrastructure in Latvia.
In its turn, while meeting with Auditor General of Cyprus Andreas Papaconstantinou, Mr Gatis Litvins discussed the challenges and benefits of the collegial model of SAIs, as well as familiarised with the work of SAI Cyprus.
In addition to the meeting of the Contact Committee, there was also a meeting organized by the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) on issues of independence of SAIs, where independence guarantees and strengthening opportunities were analysed. The participants discussed the further possibilities to strengthen the oversight of public financial management at the EU level. They concluded that the EU paid more attention to the independence of SAIs in the candidate countries than in the EU Member States themselves.
Also, SAIs Germany and Austria informed about a parallel audit regarding the performance of the tasks of the governments of the two countries in the European Investment Bank (EIB). Both SAIs identified structural weaknesses in the EIB’s monitoring and control system. [1]
The Contact Committee is an autonomous and independent association of the heads of SAIs of the EU Member States and the head of the European Court of Auditors, the purpose of which is to strengthen the financial management of the EU and the good governance of state institutions. The State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia has been a member of the Contact Committee since 1 May 2004.
The international cooperation of the State Audit Office of Latvia:
- Leads the Working Group on Municipality Auditing of EUROSAI, a regional organisation of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), serves on the Contact Committee, of the Cooperation Platform between the SAIs of the EU Member States and the European Court of Auditors, and acts as an auditor of international organisations;
- Ensures participation and professional input in the INTOSAI and EUROSAI International Working Groups and the INTOSAI Financial Auditing Standards Subcommittee;
- Provides development and other support to the SAIs of other countries and offers services in the international consulting market as a professional, highly qualified, and experienced consultant in the field of public sector audits.
About the State Audit Office of Latvia
The State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia is an independent, collegial supreme audit institution. The purpose of its activity is to find out whether the actions with the financial means and property of a public entity are legal, correct, useful and in line with public interests, as well as to provide recommendations for the elimination of discovered irregularities. The State Audit Office conducts audits in accordance with International Standards of Supreme Audit Institutions of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions INTOSAI (ISSAI), whose recognition in Latvia is determined by the Auditor General. Upon discovering deficiencies, the State Audit Office of Latvia provides recommendations for their elimination, but it informs law enforcement authorities about potential infringements of the law.
Additional information
Ms Gunta Krevica
Head of PR and Internal Communication Division
Ph. 23282332 | E-mail: Gunta.Krevica@lrvk.gov.lv
[1] https://www.bundesrechnungshof.de/SharedDocs/Kurzmeldungen/EN/2024/eib/eib-en.html; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joy472CRTdY