The President of the Court of Audit, Mr Igor Šoltes, received the President of the Polish Supreme Audit Institution, Mr Miroslaw Sekula, and the members of his delegation. Among the members of the delegation there were Mr Zbigniew Wesolowski, the advisor to the President responsible for the international audits, and Ms Agnieszka Rucinska, the advisor for the international affaires.
The presidents Mr Igor Šoltes and Mr Miroslaw Sekula discussed the composition, authority and legal framework of the two Supreme Audit Institutions. They stressed that the regular annual meetings of the presidents of the SAIs are a good opportunity for the exchange of opinions and practice nevertheless such co-operations should be strengthened or upgraded. They believe that bilateral meetings of the SAIs are of high importance, namely meetings of the Visegrad members V4 + 2 (Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Czech, Austria and Slovenia) and meetings of the SAIs and the European Court of Auditors.
Mr Zoran Mladenovič, the Second Deputy President, stressed that the international and legal bases for the operation of the Slovenian and Polish SAI are similar, i.e. they both follow the Lima Declaration of 1977, the INTOSAI auditing standards and the Guidelines for the implementation of the international auditing standards. He presented the system of controls over the public funds, co-operation with the legislative and executive bodies, auditing process, post-audit process and impacts of the post-audit process. Some of the themes of the discussions were processes of the professional training and international opportunities for auditors' training. Mr Sekula presented a training centre for auditors with its seat in Golawicah that was founded by the SAI of Poland a few years ago. Mr Šoltes presented endeavours of the Court of Audit, among them there are the annual conferences on the efficient management of the public funds and regional round tables with majors. Furthermore, Mr Šoltes stressed the role of the mass media within the framework of the impacts on the audited bodies.
The Supreme State Auditor, Mr Samo Jereb, and the senior auditor, Ms Jerneja Vrabič, presented the environmental audits that were implemented. Among them the regularity and performance audit of the conservation and protection of the biotic diversity on the area of the planned regional parks Snežnik and Kočevsko Kolpa in the period form 1996 to the end of 2005. This audit was implemented in co-operation with the SAI of Croatia. The Court of Audit also co-operated in the implementation of the environmental audit on the three-border area of Hungary, Austria and Slovenia. Members of the delegations exchanged their opinions on the implementation of the international environmental audits and on possibilities for the bilateral co-operation.
In the afternoon the president of the Polish Supreme Audit Institution, Mr Miroslaw Sekula, and the members of his delegation visited the National Assembly of the Republic of Slovenia where they were received by the Deputy President of the Commission for the Supervision of the State Budget and the Public Finance, Ms Breda Pečan.
The discussions will be closed on Friday, 13 April 2007, when the President of the Court of Audit, Mr Igor Šoltes, will present the Court of Audit's Strategy 2007-2013 that was adopted last year and the Court of Audit's Annual Report 2006.