Today, 26 February 2025, Auditor General Edgars Korčagins and Ms Inga Vilka, Council Member of the State Audit Office of Latvia, participated in a meeting of the Saeima Public Expenditure and Audit Committee to discuss the progress of implementation of audit recommendations of the State Administration Reform Plan.
In February 2022, the State Audit Office of Latvia published the results of audit “Is the State Administration Reform Plan 2020 proceeding as planned and is the intended effect achieved?” Is the State Administration Reform Plan 2020 proceeding as planned and is the intended effect being achieved? by concluding that the management of the state administration reform has not been effective. The use of the term “reform” created high expectations for high-quality changes throughout the state administration, but they have not occurred. Eight recommendations were provided to the State Chancellery and one proposal to the Cabinet of Ministers.
By February 2025, only one recommendation had been recognised as implemented. As a result, amendments were made to the Law on the Prevention of Conflict of Interest in the Activities of Public Officials, further eliminating the practice of high-ranking public officials holding leading positions in state-owned enterprises. However, the possibility of combining positions on Boards of free ports and special economic zones still remains. The implementation of seven recommendations has been initiated, but the deadline is not respected. For example, in setting single performance indicators for top-level managers, in implementing project team solutions in cooperation among several institutions, in reducing the administrative burden created by laws and regulations for various groups of society, in offering conceptual solutions for the future development of the civil service in Latvia.
“So far, real changes have occurred slowly. Only one recommendation has been implemented out of the eight recommendations provided by the State Audit Office of Latvia, with exceptions, while the implementation of the rest is still ongoing. Although the State Chancellery is carrying out various activities, clear results are lacking. Efficient state administration is still a matter of the future. I would like to hope that it is not very far away,” says Inga Vilka, Council Member of the State Audit Office of Latvia.
Information on the recommendations provided in the audits of the State Audit Office of Latvia and their implementation status is available to anyone interested on the Recommendation Implementation Platform on the website of the State Audit Office of Latvia. The information is updated twice a year: on March 1 and September 1. The Platform allows you to find out recommendations from audits that have at least one unimplemented recommendation.
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