Underlying Risks to Sustainable Public Finances

Report ID: 304

Parallel Audit Report to the Contact Committee of the heads of the SAIs  of the Member States of the European Union and the European Court of Auditors by the SAIs of Finland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia and Sweden (Coordinator).

The parallel audit project was endorsed by the Contact Committee at its meeting in June 2015. The participating SAIs followed an agreed broad common audit approach allowing them to conduct their audit work according to their national mandates. Each SAI was free to decide the scope, audit questions and methods for their respective audit while recognising the common approach. This parallel audit report is thus a synthesis of six audits conducted independently by SAIs at the national level. It contains general observations and conclusions but no common recommendations.

The aims of the parallel audit was to 1) draw attention to risks that need to be addressed in order to maintain fiscal sustainability based on recommendations from international organisations; and 2) assess how the governments dealt with the recommendations they received.

This audit was based on reviews of country specific reports and recommendations from the European Union (EU), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) issued in the period 2011–2015, (the audited period). The participating SAIs have mapped the various recommendations to their respective country as well as the government responses to these recommendations. They have furthermore audited the public availability of the recommendations at national level as well as national follow-up procedures. A number of SAIs have moreover assessed the effectiveness of government measures.

A general observation of the parallel audit working group is that recommendations issued by the three international organisations tend to overlap within each country. This might indicate that the international organisations have pinpointed relevant areas of concern. The overall conclusion is that multilateral surveillance of economic policy, even when the recommendations are not binding, constitutes good opportunities for governments to learn from best practices and to improve their policies.

SOURCE: https://www.eca.europa.eu/sites/cc/Lists/CCDocuments/Underlying%20Risks%20to%20Sustainable%20Public%20Finances/Parallel_Audit_Report_EN.pdf

Rapport de la task force sur l'union bancaire européenne au comité de contact des présidents des institutions supérieures de contrôle des États membres de l'Union européenne et de la Cour des comptes européenne

Report ID: 317

En 2008, l'Europe a été frappée par une crise financière et une crise de la dette souveraine qui a suivi. De nombreux gouvernements ont soutenu des institutions financières en faillite avec des fonds publics s'élevant à des centaines de milliards d'euros. En réaction, les pays de la zone euro ont mis en place l'Union bancaire européenne, qui comprend un mécanisme de surveillance unique.  Dans le cadre de ce mécanisme, la Banque centrale européenne est directement responsable de la surveillance prudentielle de toutes les "institutions importantes". Les autorités nationales compétentes sont directement responsables de la surveillance des "institutions moins importantes", sur la base des orientations de la Banque centrale européenne.

Les institutions supérieures de contrôle de l'Autriche, de Chypre, de la Finlande, de l'Allemagne et des Pays-Bas ont effectué un audit parallèle pour examiner le contrôle bancaire au niveau national. Les objectifs de l'audit parallèle étaient les suivants:

1) de mieux comprendre les différences entre les États membres de l'UE dans la manière dont les autorités de surveillance ont mis en place et exercent le contrôle prudentiel des INS, et

2) de recueillir des éléments probants sur les éventuelles "lacunes en matière d'audit" qui ont pu apparaître à la suite de l'introduction du mécanisme de contrôle unique.

L'une des conclusions était qu'un mandat d'audit complet évaluant le processus des contrôle et d'évaluation du contrôle bancaire n'est pas garanti dans le cadre du mécanisme de surveillance unique (MSS) et qu'avant novembre 2014, le champ d'audit des institutions nationales supérieures de contrôle des finances publiques allait bien au-delà de ce que la CCE est en mesure d'exercer aujourd'hui vis-à-vis de la BCE.

Fonte: https://www.eca.europa.eu/sites/cc/Lists/CCDocuments/Task_Force_EBU/Task_Force_EBU_FR.pdf

Preparation for resolution of medium-sized and small banks in the EURO area - Results of a parallel audit of Supreme Audit Institutions on banking resolution

Report ID: 339

In 2012, the European Union (EU) decided to set up a European Banking Union for the euro area. The Banking Union is responsible to ensure that the EU rules for supervision and resolution are implemented effectively and consistently across the euro area and in other participating countries.

In December 2017, a group of national Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) united in the Task Force on European Banking Union published a report on national supervision on medium-sized and smaller banks – or “Less Significant Institutions” (LSIs4) – under the Single Supervisory Mechanism (SSM). This report is available at:

https://intosai-cooperativeaudits.org/catalog/report/report-of-the-task-force-on-european-banking-union-on-prudential-supervision-of-medium-sized-and-small-less-significant-institutions-in-the-european-union-after-the-introduction-of-the-single-supervisory-mechanism

In 2018, the Contact Committee of the heads of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) in the EU mandated a group of SAIs united in the Task Force Banking Union to initiate a parallel audit on the functioning of the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) in the preparatory activities for the resolution of medium-sized and small banks – or Less Significant Institutions (LSIs) – under the remit of the National Resolution Authorities (NRAs)  in selected countries in the euro area.

The report is aimed to provide insight into the way the Single Resolution Mechanism (SRM) is set up and carried out for LSIs in different euro area countries, and what potential risks are involved. In addition, the second aim is to identify to what extent SAIs are actually able to exercise their audit mandates and obtain full access to documents required.

The scope of this parallel audit is restricted to resolution planning for medium-sized and small banks. Three research questions were devised for this audit:

1. Are NRAs adequately equipped and prepared to carry out the resolution task regarding medium-sized and small banks?

2. How is the preparation for resolution activities regarding medium-sized and small banks being carried out in practice by the NRAs?

3. Do SAIs face any barriers in auditing banking resolution and obtaining access to relevant documents?

4. How do Ministers of Finance comply with their responsibilities for the functioning of the resolution mechanism? Do they comply with them adequately in practice, including accountability to parliament?

Source:https://www.eca.europa.eu/sites/cc/Lists/CCDocuments/Task_Force_EBU_2020/Task_Force_EBU_2020_EN.pdf

Bericht über die parallele Prüfung der Leistung der Strukturfondsprogramme der EU in den Bereichen Beschäftigung und Umwelt

Report ID: 343

2006 erteilte der Kontaktausschuss der Arbeitsgruppe "Strukturfonds" das Mandat, ihre Überprüfungen von Strukturfondsfragen fortzusetzen und insbesondere eine gezielte Überprüfung der "Leistung (Output/Effektivität) der Strukturfondsprogramme in den Bereichen Beschäftigung und/oder Umwelt″ durchzuführen. Die Arbeitsgruppe einigte sich auf einen Prüfungsplan, der einen Rahmen für die Durchführung der Überprüfung bot. Jede ORKB untersuchte die Arbeit ihrer jeweiligen nationalen Verwaltung bei der Planung, Begleitung und Bewertung von Projekten, Maßnahmen, Unterprogrammen oder Programmen (je nach Fall), die von den Strukturfonds kofinanziert werden.

Die ORKBn von Österreich, Finnland, Deutschland, Ungarn, Italien, Lettland, Malta, den Niederlanden, Polen, Portugal, der Slowakischen Republik, Slowenien, Spanien und dem Vereinigten Königreich nahmen an der Prüfung teil. Die ORKB von Bulgarien, der Tschechischen Republik und Litauen sowie der Europäische Rechnungshof waren Beobachter. Ziel war es, Verbesserungsmöglichkeiten bei den Strukturfondsprogrammen zu identifizieren, insbesondere bei der Planung und der administrativen Abwicklung.

Die Überprüfung bezog jede ORKB in eine Untersuchung der Strukturfonds (Ziele 1 und 2) in den Bereichen Beschäftigung und/oder Umwelt ein und kam zu folgenden Ergebnissen

- ob und wie die nationalen Behörden den nachhaltigen Erfolg der geförderten Maßnahmen kontrollierten;

- inwieweit die Fördermaßnahmen (Teilprogramme, Großprojekte und sonstige Projekte) einen wirksamen und nachhaltigen Beitrag zu den strategischen Zielen der Strukturfonds leisteten.

Der Prüfungsgegenstand war ein wichtiges Thema, das sowohl für die Strukturfondsprogramme 2000-2006 als auch 2007- 2013 von Bedeutung war. Die Prüfung bezog sich auf die beiden Schlüsselbereiche der strategischen Planung und der Bewertung von Fördermaßnahmen. Auf der Grundlage der Prüfung von Maßnahmen aus dem Zeitraum 2000-2006 wollte jede der ORKBn zu dem Schluss kommen, inwieweit die Mitgliedstaaten zur Verwirklichung der strategischen Ziele des jeweiligen OPs beigetragen haben. Da die Ziele der Strukturfonds von der Periode 2000-2006 in die Programmperiode 2007-2013 übergegangen sind, wurden die Erkenntnisse aus der Prüfung der Maßnahmen aus der Periode 2000- 2006 genutzt, um die Empfehlungen für die Verbesserung der neuen Periode 2007-2013 zu untermauern.

Der Bericht enthält die von den einzelnen ORKB ermittelten bewährten Praktiken, die für beide Programmzeiträume 2000-2006 und 2007-2013 relevant sind. Als allgemeine gute Praxis wurden viele der aus dem Programmzeitraum 2000-2006 gezogenen Lehren in die Verwaltungsvereinbarungen der Mitgliedstaaten für 2007-2013 aufgenommen.

Quelle: https://www.eca.europa.eu/sites/cc/Lists/CCDocuments/1959901/1959901_DE.PDF

RESULTS OF THE PARALLEL AUDIT OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MEMORANDUM BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION AND THE REPUBLIC OF SLOVENIA ON IMPORTANT PROJECTS FOR EXPANSION OF THE BILATERAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION

Report ID: 347

In Moscow, on 17 November 2010, the Republic of Slovenia and the Russian Federation signed a Declaration on Partnership for Modernisation. The Partnership Declaration is based on the Joint Statement of the European Union and the Russian Federation adopted at the European Union - Russian Federation Summit held on 31 May and 1 June 2010 in Rostow-on-Don.

At the signing of the Partnership Declaration, the Governments of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Slovenia also signed the Memorandum on important projects, in which they expressed their readiness to facilitate the stimulating and encouraging of mutual investments into the innovative technologies, creation and market promotion of modern competitive goods as well as confirmed their aspiration for the expansion of high value-added goods and high-technology products share in trade volume.

Upon the approval of the Programme of important projects, the Governments of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Slovenia placing the priority on the Programme implementation, agreed to conduct the further monitoring of its implementation on regular basis according to the effective legislation, which should contribute to the promotion of bilateral cooperation on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and reciprocity as well as to the realisation of individual projects within the framework of cooperation in the interest of modernisation

The grounds for the implementation of the parallel audit iwas the Agreement on parallel audit by the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation and the Court of Audit of the Republic of Slovenia signed by the two Supreme Audit Institutions  (SAIs) on 29 April 2013 in Moscow. The Agreement defines in detail the cooperation of the Supreme Audit Institutions in the implementation of the audit.

The purpose of the audit was to assess the status of economic cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Slovenia taking into consideration the fulfilling of the Programme for the implementation of the Memorandum on important projects for expansion of the bilateral economic cooperation.

Among others, the effectiveness of the achievement of the objectives of economic cooperation was assessed by both SAIs.

Source: http://www.rs-rs.si/fileadmin/user_upload/news/2053/Joint_Report_ENG_final.pdf