MEMBERSHIP IN WORKING GROUPS
II. INTOSAI objectives involving professional cooperation at regional level are promoted through the seven regional working groups, namely:
Organization of Latin American and Caribbean Supreme Audit Institutions (Olacefs), set up in 1965;
African Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI), set up in 1976;
Arab Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ARABOSAI), set up in 1976
Asian Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (ASOSAI), set up in 1978;
Pacific Association of Supreme Audit Institutions (PASAI), set up in 1987;
Caribbean Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions (CAROSAI), set up in 1988;
European Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions, (EUROSAI) set up in 1990.
To debate issues of significant, recurring interest to all INTOSAI members, four INTOSAI committees have been set up:
Professional Standards Committee, chaired by the SAI of Denmark
Capacity Building Committee, chaired by the SAI of Morocco
Knowledge Sharing Committee, chaired by the SAI India
Finance and Administration Committee, chaired by the SAI of Saudi Arabia
Subcommittees, Ad-hoc Groups, Working Groups or Task Forces are organized, according to case, within the framework of these Committees.
The Romanian Court of Accounts is a member of the fourth INTOSAI Committee on Internal Control Standards, chaired by SAI Belgium.
The Committee for Professional Standards is chaired by the SAI of Denmark and has five sub-committees and two Ad-hoc Groups, totaling 68 member SAIs.
The Romanian Court of Accounts is a member of the fourth INTOSAI sub-committee on Internal Control Standards, chaired by the SAI of Belgium.
The Capacity Building Committee, chaired by the SAI of Morocco is made of three Subcommittees coordinated by the SAIs of the United Kingdom, of Peru and respectively of Germany.
The Knowledge Sharing Committee, chaired by SAI India, conducts its activity within nine Working Groups and two Task Forces. These have been set up as a consequence of the interest shown by member SAIs in certain specific domains of activities:
Working Group on Public Debt, chaired by the SAI of Medic
Working Group on IT audit, chaired by the SAI of India
Working Group on Environmental Auditing, chaired by the SAI of Estonia
Working Group on Privatization, Economic Regulation and Public-Private Partnerships Audit, chaired by the SAI of the United Kingdom
Working Group on Program Evaluation, chaired by the SAI of France
Working Group on the Fight Against International Money Laundering and Corruption, chaired by the SAI of Peru
Working Group on Accountability for and Audit of Disaster- related Aid, chaired by the European Court of Auditors (ECA)
Working Group on Key National Indicators, chaired by the SAI of Russia
Working Group on Value and Benefits of SAIs, chaired by the SAI of South Africa
INTOSAI Communication Strategy Task Force, chaired by the SAI of Austria
INTOSAI Task Force Global Financial Crisis – Challenges to SAIs - on Financial Crisis, chaired by the SAI of the USA
Working Groups have an indefinite mandate and operate until their members consider that the activity in the respective domain is no more of interest and propose ceasing of the group mandate.
Task Forces are definite in time and are set up only for certain significant issues of interest, they are not permanent, but rather conjectural (the financial crisis, for example). These groups operate only on a well defined period and dissolve once they have attained the objective for which they have been set up.
The Romanian Court of Accounts is a member of two working groups:
Working Group on Environmental Auditing, chaired by the SAI of Estonia
Working Group on Privatization, Economic Regulation and Public-Private Partnerships audit, chaired by the SAI of the United Kingdom
The members of sub-committees, working groups and task forces decide whether and when they meet, in relation to the mandate to fulfill. As a general rule, members of sub-committees, working groups and task forces or SAIs chairing the respective activity meetings by turn, host them.
The Finance and Administration Committee, chaired by SAI of Saudi Arabia generally approaches INTOSAI administrative and budget issues and is composed of two task forces, chaired by the SAI of the USA on subscribers funds of the organization and respectively, on the INTOSAI Strategic Plan, for the period 2011 - 2016
II. Two working groups currently operate under the care of EUROSAI:
EUROSAI IT Working Group was set up in 2002 and is currently chaired the SAI of Switzerland, that took over the chair form the SAI of the Netherlands in 2008.
EUROSAI Working Group on Environmental Audit (WGEA), was set up in 1999 and is currently chaired the SAI of Norway, that took over the chair from the SAI of Poland in 2008.
The Romanian Court of Accounts is a member of both Working Groups and is invited to participate in the seminars organized in this context.
Besides these groups, the setting up of a Task Force on Accountability for and Audit of Disaster-related Aid was decided, at the latest EUROSAI Congress, under the coordination of the SAI of Ukraine, with the participation of 17 EUROSAI members.
The Romanian Court of Accounts is not part of these task forces.
III. The European Union Contact Committee may decide on the setting up of Working Groups and of Expert Groups on general or specific issues of general interest. Furthermore, liaison officers may decide on the setting up of Task Forces to debate specific issues related to audit cooperation in the European context.
Currently, the following Working Groups and Expert Groups operate with the framework of the Contact Committee:
The Working Group on Structural Funds
The Working Group on National SAI Reports on EU Financial Management
Working Group on Activities on Value Added Tax
Working Group on Public Procurement
Working Group on Common Audit Standards
Expert Group on Audit Quality
Agricultural Experts Network
Joint Working Group on Audit Activities
The Romanian Court of Account is currently a member of four of these working groups:
Working Group on Activities on Value Added Tax
Working Group on Common Audit Standards
Agricultural Experts Network
Joint Working Group on Audit Activities
In this capacity, the representatives of the Court of Accounts are invited to participate in the seminars organized by these working groups.