Press release, 16 September 2014
Loreta Graužinienė, Speaker of the Seimas, has met with Vitor Caldeira, President of the European Court of Auditors. The meeting discussed issues related to accountability and public audit in Europe and Lithuania as well as possible changes in this area in the near future.
“The criteria for the assessment of the use of EU structural funds during the period 2014–2020 have changed. From now on, the main focus will be on directing EU structural funds to those areas that will bring the greatest added value,” said the Speaker of the Seimas.
“The European Court of Auditors has the task of helping to ensure accountability. We are reflecting on how we can improve public audit arrangements. The European Court of Auditors has to coordinate its activities with Lithuanian auditors to achieve as effective use of EU funds as possible,” said the President of the European Court of Auditors after the meeting.
Following the meeting, the leader of the Seimas and the delegation of auditors headed by Vitor Caldeira continued their discussions on audit at the conference on Challenges in Accountability and Public Audit, which was held in the Seimas. The Conference was also attended by Members of the Seimas, officials from the National Audit Office of Lithuania, Government, Office of the President of the Republic of Lithuania, ministries and Association of Local Authorities in Lithuania.
Conference participants heard reports by Dr Igors Ludboržs, Member of the European Court of Auditors; Jolita Vaickienė, Chair of the Seimas Committee on Audit; Giedrė Švedienė, Auditor General; and Aloyzas Vitkauskas, Vice-Minister of Finance.
Secretariat of the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6002
Dalia Valentienė, Adviser to the Speaker of the Seimas, tel. +370 5 239 6030, mob. +370 698 42 786
