On 16–17 September 2025, the seminar and annual meeting of the Working Group on Municipality Audit (WGMA) of the European Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (EUROSAI), hosted this year by the State Audit Office of Latvia, took place in Riga. More than 50 delegates from 23 European supreme audit institutions (SAIs), as well as municipal policymakers and representatives of the academic environment, participated in the event. Participants discussed regional development policy planning, availability of funding, mutual synergies between support programs and the role of SAIs in promoting regional development.
“At the seminar, we were able to present Latvia’s experience in regional policymaking and learn about the practices of other countries. This exchange of experience is valuable in conducting comparative analysis in Europe and strengthening the role of SAIs in providing recommendations to local and regional governments,” emphasized Mr Oskars Erdmanis, Head of EUROSAI WGMA and Council Member of the State Audit Office of Latvia.
The event was opened by Auditor General of Latvia Edgars Korčagins and the President of SAI Slovakia Ľubomír Andrassy by stressing the importance of the WGMA activities and cooperation.
The first session featured a presentation by Minister of Smart Administration and Regional Development of Latvia Raimonds Čudars, who spoke about policy goals, regional growth, reducing socio-economic disparities and improving the quality of life. The Chairperson of Riga City Council Viesturs Kleinbergs stressed the importance of the capital’s development and cooperation with SAIs. The Chairperson of Liepāja City Council Gunārs Ansiņš presented the city’s economic growth and goals to become the European Capital of Culture in 2027, achieve climate neutrality and obtain smart city status by 2030. The Head of the Latvian Strategy and Economic Research Institute (LaSER) Daunis Auers analysed the development, competitiveness and governance of regional cities.
In the second and third sessions, representatives from 12 countries including Greece, Georgia, Estonia, Italy, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia and Hungary shared their experiences. The presentations addressed regional policy planning and implementation, the effectiveness of municipal investments, entrepreneurship promotion, public engagement, the use of EU funds, water management and housing projects, the role of local action groups (LAGs), administrative problems, and the improvement of monitoring systems.
The meeting concluded with the emphasis on the fact that SAIs contributed significantly to sustainable and balanced regional development with their audit recommendations. The activities of the Working Group were also discussed such as the preparation of an international compendium on municipality audits (Audit Compendium), regular methodology master classes and a new initiative, that is, an award in municipality audits. This confirms that the Working Group is both a discussion platform and a cooperation environment with tangible results.
More information about EUROSAI WGMA: www.tfma.eu
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.