EUROSAI. Magazine N18 - 2012

> 32 < INFORMATION ON EU EUROPEAN ORGANISATION OF SUPREME AUDIT INSTITUTIONS www.eurosai.org No. 18 - 2012 European Stability Mechanism; the report of theWorking Group to undertake a pilot study to identify possible public audit deficits in the area of new arrangements; the progress report of the Fiscal Policy Audit Network. Moreover, some SAIs presented their viewpoints and experiences, mainly in the framework of the financial crisis, considering recent developments regarding financial audit and the role of SAIs; implications on accounting standards and the suitability of IPSAS for EU Member States; the budgetary rules and the income side of the State Budget. After the discussions of both themes I and II, the intervention of another notable guest speaker must be registered: Governor of Banco de Portugal , Mr. Carlos da Silva Costa, who delivered the closing conference of the thematic part of the Seminar . The debates on the above mentioned themes gave rise to the adoption of six resolutions on the following subjects: 1 . Network on Europe 2020 Strategy audit ; 2 . Supreme Audit Institutions’ cooperation with Eurostat and National Statistical Institutions ; 3 . The results of the pilot study on the Access of Supreme Audit Institutions to the main financial supervisors in EU Member States ; 4 . The 2013 future activities of the EU SAI Contact Committee ; 5 . Public accounting standards ; 6 . The tasks and roles of the external public audit in the light of recent developments in the European Union economic governance. In the framework of Contact Committee cooperation, SAIs approved decisions on future activities of the Committee and were informed about the report on best audit practices and main audit recommendations for corporate governance audits of state and municipality owned enterprises (SAI of Latvia) and the Seminar Experience gained during the winding up of the programming period 2000-2006 (SAI of Hungary). In the context of information of common interest , the Contact Committeehas got informationon two EU related audits by Member States’ SAIs: Monitoring Risks to Public Finances (The Netherlands) and Results of the Cooperative Audit of CO 2 Emission Trading Systems (Denmark). In the meeting there was also a presentation by the Secretary General of INTOSAI and President of the SAI of Austria on the significant Resolution A/ 66 / 209 of the General Assembly of the United Nations: “Promoting the efficiency, accountability, effectiveness and transparency of public administration by strengthening Supreme Audit Institutions” . The President and the Secretary General of EUROSAI referred to the current status of EUROSAI activities. The Network of SAIs of Candidate and Potential Candidate Countries and the ECA also delivered information on its activities. The meeting of October 2013 of the Contact Committee meeting will be held in Vilnius, hosted by the SAI of Lithuania and chaired by the Auditor General Ms Giedre· Sˇ vediene· . n