EUROSAI. Magazine N21 - 2015

www.eurosai.org · N.º 21 - 2015 5 EUROPEAN ORGANISATION OF SUPREME AUDIT INSTITUTIONS Editorial Dear colleagues, 25 years ago, in 1990, EUROSAI saw the light for the first time in Madrid, as the last regional forum created in INTOSAI for the exchange of experiences. EUROSAI was conceived by the delegations of 30 European SAIs gathered in the Constitutive Conference, as a privileged framework for exchange of knowledge among members, to promote mutual enrichment and to improve the audit of public funds. It is remarkable that one of the topics discussed during the Congress that followed the Constitutive Conference was “Proposals for a better and more effective development of EUROSAI”. Therefore, since the very beginning of existence of our Organization, one of the main concerns was the effectiveness of EUROSAI’s development. With this in mind, they concluded that “EUROSAI would have to give concrete content to its development by a permanent process of adjusting its activities to members’ expectations”, thus making members’ needs and expectations the first priority when planning EUROSAI activities. The past meets the present and today we are able to recognize this demand driven orientation of EUROSAI, set already in its inception, in the independent evaluation of EUROSAI’s governance and modus operandi recently launched under the initiative of the IX Congress held in 2014. This project includes, as a first step, an in-depth self-assessment, which will gather the members’ insights of the governance and activities of EUROSAI and their expectations for the future. The results of the whole exercise will help EUROSAI perform in a more efficient way, supporting EUROSAI decision-making on possible enhancements regarding its governance and functioning. It cannot be denied that we have come a long way together since 1990. To pay tribute to these 25 years of fruitful cooperation among EUROSAI members, this issue of the Magazine includes a special section devoted to the silver jubilee of EUROSAI. In this section, we have the great privilege of being able to share with you the views and memories of relevant and exceptional witnesses of the inception and development of EUROSAI, including reflections by the former Presidencies who strategically led EUROSAI during their terms, the current Presidency who is encouraging members to plant new ideas to ensure a sustainable future for EUROSAI, and other crucial EUROSAI stakeholders, such as the INTOSAI Secretary General and the IDI Secretariat. Moreover, the evolution, development and main products of EUROSAI have been displayed in the “EUROSAI Timeline” and the “Snapshot of EUROSAI” subsections. Both documents are simple and graphic tools to assess at a glance the key milestones and outputs of EUROSAI. I truly hope you enjoy, as much as I did, reading this issue of the Magazine that offers you the possibility to review the life and development of our Organization along its 25 years of existence and to envisage its near future. Once again, but with a special significance on this occasion, let me thank you all for your compromise and invaluable contributions to the Organization, without which this joint and common initiative would not have been able to bear fruit. Ramón Álvarez de Miranda García President of the Spanish Court of Audit Secretary General of EUROSAI EDITORIAL