Meeting of the Contact Committee of the Heads of the Supreme Audit Institutions of the European Union
Press Release – October 22, 2010
The heads of the supreme audit institutions (SAI) of the 27 EU member states and the European Court of Auditors (ECA) met in Luxembourg on October 18–19, 2010. The main discussion focused on the role of national parliaments after the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty.
The seminar consisted of presentations that focused on two topics. Mr Jean Laporte, Director of the European Affairs Department of the French Senate, and Mrs Colette Flesch, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, former Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg and of the European Parliament and former Mayor of Luxembourg City, were invited to the event to speak of the role of national parliaments after the adoption of the Lisbon Treaty and their involvement in the management of European funds. Mr. Edward Leigh, Member of the British House of Commons and former Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee aimed his presentation at covering specific areas of the management of EU funds by national administrations.
The participants considered the revision of the EU financial regulations. During the event, Mr. Algirdas Šemeta, Commissioner for Taxation and Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud, delivered a short presentation on this topic. Among other issues covered at the seminar were independent status of SAIs, management of EU funds, and audits performed within this area.
Among internal issues of the Contact Committee that were also discussed at the meeting were reports on previous activities of the Contact Committee, special reports of individual working groups, and the outlook for planned activities and upcoming events in 2011. Representatives of the Supreme Audit Office informed the participants about the forthcoming international seminar on Common Agricultural Policy, which will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, on October 25–27, 2010.
Department of International Relations
Supreme Audit Office
President of SAO Dohnal and Director of Department of International Relations Müllerová