For the next three years, the State Audit Office of Latvia will lead the Working Group on Municipality Audit (WGMA) of the European Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (EUROSAI), taking over the mandate from the Supreme Audit Institution of Lithuania.
EUROSAI WGMA is a cooperation platform for European supreme audit institutions in charge of auditing municipal financial resources. The WGMA facilitates cooperation and exchange of best practices among supreme audit institutions. The activity of this Working Group is essential to ensure the professional development of auditors and promote best governance practices at the European and municipal level.
“First of all, we express our gratitude to the Supreme Audit Institution of Lithuania for their contribution to the development of the WGMA in the previous period! Commitment to lead the Working Group in which the supreme audit institutions of 27 countries are represented is a major step for the development of the State Audit Office of the Republic of Latvia. Our experience and expertise will contribute to good governance practices and strengthen mutual cooperation, making the Working Group an even more dynamic platform for the exchange of opinions, experiences and knowledge. Such networking is essential for solving modern challenges and for effective monitoring of municipal resources,” stated Auditor General of Latvia Edgars Korčagins.
At the XII EUROSAI Congress held at the end of May, an activity plan of the WGMA for 2024-2027 was approved, which also included three main lines of action for the next three years, (1) promote dialogue with all non-SAIs, (2) strengthen cooperation among WGMA members, (3) facilitate the exchange of practical experience on methods, innovative tools and technologies.
The State Audit Office of Latvia is committed to implementing the set goals, promoting the involvement of supreme audit institutions and ensuring the sustainable development of the Working Group to achieve even higher results.
The WGMA was established in 2016 and its vision is to generate significant improvements in municipal audit systems in EUROSAI countries, while the mission is to create an open platform to share best practice and experience in municipal audits. The State Audit Office of Latvia has been a member of the Working Group since its inception and has been involved in the management and implementation of various activities actively.
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.
100 years of AUDIT STRENGTH
On 16 August 2023, the State Audit Law turned 100 years old. With the adoption of this Law, the State Audit Office from a formal de facto institution founded on 2 December 1918 became a de jure independent, collegial supreme audit institution of the Republic of Latvia. The State Audit Office is one of the independent state institutions enshrined in the Satversme (Constitution) of Latvia. The Constitution was signed by Roberts Ivanovs as the secretary of the Constitutional Assembly, who was then confirmed as the Auditor General. He worked as the first Auditor General for 12 years. His signature confirmed the text of our Constitution alongside that of Jānis Čakste.
Additional information
Mr Ivo Valdovskis
Communications Advisor to the Auditor General
Phone number: 23282273 | E-mail: ivo.valdovskis@lrvk.gov.lv