EUROSAI. Magazine N21 - 2015

EUROPEAN ORGANISATION OF SUPREME AUDIT INSTITUTIONS REPORTS AND STUDIES 76 www.eurosai.org · N.º 21 - 2015 As the president of a supreme audit institution in a smaller country, these problems appear not only as massive but also as extensive and complex. Can I reasonably expect my national government to have a grip on or solve the risks inherent in these issues? As the president of EUROSAI, however, I am both challenged and inspired, professionally and intellectually, since a community of SAIs can indeed make a difference. Together we can organise audits as a useful tool for governmental learning and improvement. The 25 th anniversary of EUROSAI is a moment to reflect. It is always important to pause and remind ourselves of what we are really working for – what it is that truly motivates us. We are living in exciting times. We are on the threshold of change. Globalisation is a fact. It is not simply that our personal lives are connected through the internet and via our computers and smartphones. Companies, governments and movements are also interconnected. Citizens are rapidly becoming better informed and more critical of government. There is not only an internet of people, there is also an internet of things. Worldwide communication and information-sharing is becoming easier and more accessible to everyone. The government no longer has a natural lead in the distribution of information: citizens are perfectly capable of collecting information and analysing it for themselves. This is an opportunity for us. These changes are changing the world we are living in deeply. I am fascinated by these changes and what they mean for governments and for us, the SAIs of Europe. Because supreme audit institutions can remain relevant only by changing as well. EUROSAI, in my opinion, can be an important vehicle, fuelling that change. We need each other to remain relevant in the future. I hope that you, my colleagues in the European SAIs, living on a continent known for its ability to change and adapt, will join the journey that SAIs all over the world are embarking on, as experts in strengthening our public audit work. The history of EUROSAI shows us that energy and tenacity can build great things. So many things have already been accomplished in only 25 years. We started in 1990! Think back to that period and what the world looked like then. It was a time when East and West were reconciling and a time when we became aware of what liberty, freedom and democracy truly meant. Since then, SAIs across Europe have developed within the EUROSAI framework, moving, with increasing speed, towards enhanced levels of transparency, accountability and cooperation. Like freedom and democracy, we should not take this for granted. On the contrary. THE 21 st CENTURY AND THE ROAD AHEAD Arno Visser President of the SAI of The Netherlands President of EUROSAI The massive streams of refugees wandering our globe searching for a safe place to live. The diminution of our water resources. The overfishing of our oceans. Concerns about our safety at a time when the people in our streets are targeted by terrorists from the other side of the world, or closer. The greatest challenges of our time are international challenges. Problems that can only be solved when countries work together. The 25th anniversary of EUROSAI is amoment to reflect. It is always important to pause and remind ourselves of what we are reallyworking for –what it is that trulymotivates us