On September 15 and 16, the first forum of the supreme audit institutions of the Baltic States will take place in Riga, in which leaders and experts of the supreme audit institutions of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will discuss the strategic development directions of the institutions and opportunities for tripartite cooperation. By organizing the first forum of supreme audit institutions of the Baltic States, the State Audit Office of Latvia emphasizes the significance of cooperation among the three neighbouring countries and initiates a long-term cooperation platform where knowledge and experience can be shared in a coordinated manner. It is planned that the forum will be held once a year in one of the Baltic States.
“The supreme audit institutions of the Baltic States have traditionally cooperated closely, considering common goals and tasks, however, in recent years, bilateral rather than tripartite cooperation has been most often implemented. Last year, while meeting with the Auditor Generals of Lithuania and Estonia and discussing the possible expansion of cooperation among the institutions, the idea of a joint forum of the supreme audit institutions of the Baltic States was born, establishing a fundamentally new platform for the coordinated exchange of ideas and experience between all three countries. Our institutions have an enormous potential to increase the competitiveness of the region by creating a mutual network, through which we can jointly solve the current challenges of audit institutions, identify the best examples, and share this experience on an international scale,” emphasizes Auditor General Rolands Irklis.
On the first day of the forum, presentations by the heads of the supreme audit institutions of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and participants' discussions about the strategic priorities and challenges of the institutions in 2022-2023 are planned. Participants will discuss their management and audit-related priorities . The participants of the forum will discuss strategically prominent issues for related to the selection of audit topics, planning of audit resources and the use of benchmarking practices in auditing. The agenda includes two expert or auditor-level experience exchange discussions on auditing in forestry and infrastructure, including discussing the audit results on the protection of forest resources, the assessment of centralized heat supply, the sustainability of the financing of roads, the effectiveness of municipal infrastructure facilities and the principles of sustainability.
On the second day of the forum, the delegations of the Baltic States will discuss issues pertaining to the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and the challenges that EU Member States face when drafting and implementing national RRPs, as well as the role of supreme audit institutions in assessing these plans. At the end, the participants will discuss the possibilities of future cooperation, incl. possible areas of cooperation and topics for joint audits.
About the State Audit Office
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 (ISSAI) of the International Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), whose recognition in Latvia is determined by the Auditor General.
Additional information
Mrs Signe Znotiņa-Znota
Head of PR and Internal Communication Division
Ph. + 371 67017671 | M. + 371 26440185 | E. signe.znotina-znota@lrvk.gov.lv