In the Bilateral Annual Co-ordination Meeting organized in the National Audit Office representatives of Directorates-General of the European Commission and Lithuanian institutions discussed key issues concerning management and control of the EU Structural assistance for the programming period 2000-2006 and 2007-2013.

Representatives of the European Commission positively assessed work performed by Lithuanian institutions in 2008. During the meeting the following issues were discussed: follow-up of open recommendations from Directorates-General of the European Commission audits, audit strategies and audit plans for 2009, as well as Annual Summary Report. The representative of the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) presented a detailed analysis of irregularities detected in the EU Member States in the programming period 2000-2006. Read more

Irena Petruškevičienė, Member of the European Court of Auditors (ECA) visited the National Audit Office and presented the main aspects of discharge for implementation of the European Union budget for 2007, as well as ECA performance results and the planned changes in the institution.

Ms Petruškevičienė said: "Like in previous years, the cohesion policy area is most affected by errors. In accordance with our calculations, at least 11 % of the total amount reimbursed should not have been reimbursed. General error rate in agriculture area is lower, however, still material".

"The key reason for the errors is complicated and vague eligibility criteria, as well as complex legal requirements for granting the EU funds," she added. Read more 

New system for follow-up of implementation of public audit recommendations introduced in the NAO will encourage the audited entities to more thoroughly implement the recommendations. "We believe that the new procedure will increase the public audit impact, will help the Seimas to enhance parliamentary control over the executive, as well as will foster a better accountability of public institutions to the public," says Rasa Budbergytė, head of the NAO. Read more

"There is enough free public agricultural land for restoration of ownership rights, while the remaining part is sold to farming persons. Therefore sale of public land will not prevent persons who want to repossess it, and no loss will be incurred by the State," said Rasa Budbergytė, head of the NAO summarizing results of a preliminary study.

The preliminary study aimed to evaluate the purposefulness of public audit on agricultural land sale. Having not detected material problems during the study the decision was made not to start the audit, instead to allocate the available resources to other areas, the audit of which would more benefit the public and the State. Read more  

Monthly journal of the European Court of Auditors presents in detail international conference "Public Audit: Helping to Manage State Property Wisely" dedicated to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the National Audit Office of Lithuania. The event brought officers from Lithuanian and European Union institutions and states to share their experiences and insights on public audit, parliamentary control, as well as perspectives of the European Union Budget and accountability. Read more

What is the guarantee that residents of the country will be provided with all the necessary social services? Unfortunately, this question may not be answered by either the Ministry of Social Security and Labour or municipalities. Such an opinion was expressed by the National Audit Office of Lithuania after an audit of social services had been conducted.

The Auditor General Ms Rasa Budbergytė pointed out that it is necessary to more precisely plan needs for social services and more rationally use the allocated funds. According to Ms Budbergytė, the valid legislation does not stipulate the amount of funds which have to be allocated to provision of social services by municipalities. Some funds received from the State Budget and not used are later redistributed to other social support at the discretion of municipalities. Ms Budbergytė stressed that funds must be planned in a way to give the people all the needed social services. Read more 

“Although the Lithuanian Geological Survey is aware of management issues in information systems it administers and starts to solve them, however, the efforts are insufficient to properly manage information systems in the institution,“ stated the Auditor General Ms Rasa Budbergytė after the National Audit Office of Lithuania evaluated information systems (IS) management in the Lithuanian Geological Survey.

Auditors detected that security in the State Underground Register and State Geological Information System GEOLIS, which are administered by the Service, is not sufficient. Auditors also pointed out that assessment of conformity of information technologies with security requirements is not conducted in the Geological Survey. Thefore the management may be unaware of IS security gaps and therefore not perform security assurance functions prescribed to the Service. Read more

The Auditor General Ms Rasa Budbergytė met with H.E. Mr Simon Butt, British Ambassador in Lithuania. During the meeting the following topics were discussed: NAOL relations with the Seimas and its Audit Committee; current working priorities of the NAOL; topics where more progress with implementing NAOL recommendations is desired; how can NAOL enforce its recommendations, and scope for further contact or co-operation with UK bodies.

Having conducted an audit of information systems (IS) managed by the State Road Transport Inspectorate under the Ministry of Transport and Communications the National Audit Office evaluated positively successful application of modern IS management practice however auditors also indicated some management and security shortcomings.

According to the Auditor General Ms Rasa Budbergytė although information systems control in many of the audited state institutions is still rather poor the fact that the number of good practice cases in IS management is increasing inspires optimism. "In order to achieve better results it is essential for the state institutions to more actively share and more rapidly apply best practices in the area", - says the Auditor General. Read more

"Office of the Seimas introduce internationally recognised information systems management practice, however there is still space for improvement: information systems policy and policy for their security should be defined, documentation for their implementation developed, assessment of all the information systems risks carried out, information systems security and efficiency should be periodically audited", stated the Auditor General Ms Rasa Budbergytė when summarising the Audit of the Seimas Information Systems (IS). Read more

Taking of land for public needs does not satisfy either the public itself or land owners - states the public audit report prepared by the National Audit Office. Public auditors were looking for ways how to shorten and simplify taking of land procedures, to make this process more transparent and more acceptable for institutions implementing public projects at the same time protecting interests of land owners. In Lithuania plots of land have already been taken of for public needs - the total area amounts to more than 65 hectares. In future when constructing energy bridges, railway "Rail Baltica" and implementing other projects taking of land for public needs will become even more relevant. Read more