The Romanian Court of Accounts is hosting the first meeting of the Innovation Committee of the Association of Francophone Supreme Audit Institutions (AISCCUF), May 5-7, 2025, in Bucharest, in collaboration with the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI), the institution announced on Tuesday.

The event, themed 'Innovative Ways to Publish Audit Results and Involve Citizens in Identifying Audit Topics,' brings together representatives from more than ten Francophone Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), along with experts from academic, governmental, and non-governmental sectors.

In his opening remarks, President of the Romanian Court of Accounts Mihai Busuioc underscored the importance of bringing audit institutions closer to citizens through transparent, accessible, and participatory means, according to the institution's press release sent to AGERPRES.

'Beyond our specific work and the selected audit topics, what matters is how we better and more quickly reach the final beneficiary of our reports, the citizen. We need to be transparent and inclusive in involving stakeholders in the audit process, but it is essential that the results of our work are accessible to citizens through diverse publishing methods and content clarity. I hope the roundtables and workshops over the next two days provide an opportunity to share the latest trends in leveraging audit activities and strengthening cooperation with civil society,' said Mihai Busuioc.

Key topics addressed during the meeting include: Recent trends in publishing audit results: experiences from Francophone SAIs and IDI best practices; Mechanisms for consulting citizens to identify audit topics: exploring different consultation methods (surveys, online forums, panels) to involve the general public in audit planning; Success stories in collaboration between SAIs and civil society: from consultation to participatory auditing.

Additional discussions will focus on citizen engagement and communication, specifically how the general public can help disseminate audit results and contribute to the development of innovative communication strategies that encourage citizen participation.

The Romanian Court of Accounts coordinates the Innovation Committee's activities within AISCCUF and is part of the Association Executive Bureau. The committee was established at the initiative of the First President of the French Court of Accounts, Pierre Moscovici, following a professional seminar in 2023 organised jointly by the Romanian and French Courts of Accounts on auditing public spending in the context of the pandemic and the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Through this committee, Romania's SAI has the opportunity to share its experiences and best practices, collaborating with other partners to identify and promote innovative solutions within the INTOSAI community and among Francophone SAIs. Alongside Romania, the committee includes SAIs from Senegal, Cameroon, Morocco, Monaco, and the Republic of Moldova. Invited participants include members of the AISCCUF Executive Bureau, such as SAIs from France, Belgium, Djibouti, and representatives from the NATO Board of Auditors and the Court of Accounts of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa.

Opening speeches were also delivered by Luca Niculescu, State Secretary within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Romania's National Coordinator for the OECD accession process, and Elena Calistru, President of the Funky Citizens Association, member of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), and member of the Advisory Council of the Romanian Court of Accounts. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Cristian Anghelache; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)