The Accounts Committee took part in the Seminar of the EUROSAI Project Group on Auditing the Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

Representatives of the Accounts Committee took part in online seminar of the EUROSAI Project Group on Auditing the Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

During the event the participants discussed the topic of effectiveness of the use of public resources by national governments during the coronavirus pandemic. 

More than 40 representatives of the Supreme Audit Institutions of the UK, Georgia, Spain, Lithuania, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Estonia, etc. attended the seminar. The seminar was organized by the UK National Audit Office, and moderated by the National Audit Office of Lithuania.

Presentations were made by representatives of the SAI of Lithuania, Spain, Estonia and the UK.

Thus, it was noted a lack of adequate IT framework to capture the information during the pandemic, no external review and insufficient internal control, the functioning of the health system overwhelmed and a number of other problems that led to a questioning and distrust of public health institutions and services.

Taking into account the lessons learnt, the participants came to the conclusion that it is necessary to prepare for the crisis by building reserves and capacities to act, clarity in government and authorities tasks, taking appropriate actions to explain the importance of vaccination and management of this issue, as well as justified and transparent support to companies across ministries and agencies and considering actual needs of support to municipalities.

The next meeting of the EUROSAI Project Group will be held in 2023.

Press service of the Accounts Committee