5th regional conference on public internal financial control for EU candidate countries and potential candidates

 

SIGMA organised the 5th regional conference on public internal financial control (PIFC) for EU candidate countries and potential candidates in partnership with ReSPA in Skopje, North Macedonia on 19-20 September 2019.

Since the last regional conference, held in 2016, which explained the concept of managerial accountability and initiated the debate and work on developing managerial accountability schemes, a regional seminar on managerial accountability and senior civil service in Western Balkans was organised by ReSPA and SIGMA in 2018, and two SIGMA Papers were published giving a detailed analysis of existing barriers and recommended directions for good managerial accountability schemes: Guidelines for assessing the quality of internal control systems and Managerial accountability in the Western Balkans: a comparative analysis of the barriers and opportunities faced by senior managers in delivering policy objectives.

The 5th regional conference addressed the progress made in the development of managerial accountability in the participating administrations as well as subjects of key interest including efficient strategic and resource planning, assessment of the quality of public internal financial control (PIFC) systems and the role of financial inspection.

Strategic planning, properly aligned with resource planning, sets the foundation for efficient internal control systems. The co-ordination, implementation and long-term sustainability of public administration reform (PAR) and public financial management (PFM) strategies, associated with the requirements of the European integration process, result in a demanding challenge for public administration in IPA beneficiary administrations.
The workshop organised by SIGMA and ReSPA during the first day of the conference provided participants with the opportunity to discuss key challenges and study good practice related to the financial planning of strategy implementation, which requires excellent co-ordination between the structures in the government responsible for PAR and PFM strategies.

During the conference, managers from outside ministries of finance were invited to take part in the workshop session to gain a better understanding of the challenges related to the development and maintenance of the efficient managerial and control systems.

A dedicated workshop provided an opportunity to discuss the expected role and scope of work of financial inspection in the public sector.

The high-level representatives from ministries of finance, public administrations and the line ministries in attendance participated actively in the conference and shared their experience and plans for further improvements of public internal financial control in their administrations.

Agenda and concept note
Albanian I Bosnian Serbian Croatian I Macedonian I Turkish

Guidelines for PIFC compliant financial inspection (discussion paper by Joop Vrolijk, SIGMA expert)
Albanian I Bosnian Serbian Croatian I Macedonian I Turkish

Presentations:

Ensuring alignment between policy planning and financial planning: experience from Slovenia, Katja Lautar, SIGMA expert
Albanian I Bosnian Serbian Croatian I Macedonian I Turkish

Management and control systems - how to assess them? Daria Bochnar, SIGMA expert and Miroslawa Boryczka, SIGMA
Albanian I Bosnian Serbian Croatian I Macedonian I Turkish

Guidelines for PIFC compliant financial inspection, Joop Vrolijk, SIGMA expert
Albanian I Bosnian Serbian Croatian I Macedonian I Turkish

(Entire package of conference documents)