EUROSAI WGEA Environmental Auditing Seminar 
14 – 16 May 2001, Oslo, Norway

The Seminar was organised by The Polish Supreme Chamber of Control and the Office of the Auditor General of Norway.. The representatives of 28 European SAIs (among them 22 representatives of SAIs being the members of the EUROSAI Working Group on Environmental Auditing) and representative of the Office of the Auditor General of Canada took part in the Seminar. The main goal for the seminar was:

to inspire European Supreme Audit Institutions in their environmental auditing efforts to strengthen and increase their control initiatives,
to provide the opportunity for sharing experience and further learning on environmental auditing among the SAIs in the European region..
The essential part of the seminar were methodological workshops. There were divided into three thematic blocks:

block 1. Which environmental problems should be audited by Supreme Audit Institutions and are there common criteria to be used”

block 2. “Selection of audit scope and survey method”

block 3 Defining audit criteria when auditing international conventions” .

Presentations during the seminar

Keynote speakres:

Mr. Paulus Brouwer , The European Union “Environmental challenges in the European Union perspective”
Jon Birger Skjerseth , The Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway“The effectiveness of international environmental agreements”
Thematic Block 1

Introductory speeches

Mr Zbigniew Wesołowski , Poland “ Priorities adopted in the strategy of the EUROSAI Working Group and in the work plan for 2001”
Mr Flories Roijackers, The Netherlands, “ Criteria for selection of international agreements and conventions to be audited”
Country presentations in two parallel sessions:

Session 1

Romania Ms Laviania Toma and Mr Contantin Oprea “ The convention on co-operation for the Protection and Sustainable Use of Danube River

United Kingdom Mr Christ Shapcott, “Environmental audit in the UK: The national Air quality strategy”

Czech RepublicMr Miroslav Kruchina "SAI’s attitude ti the audits of environmental commitments”

Session 2

Poland Ms Alicja Gruszecka “Management of hazardous waste”

Estonia Ms Krista Jansen “Audit of the Prerequisites of implementing the waste policy”

Hungary  Ms Eve Karsai “”Environmental audit and audit methods developed for performance audit in the State Audit Office of Hungary”

Thematic Block 2

Introductory speech

Mr Joe Cavanagh (United Kingdom “ Audit design and survey methods”

Country presentations in two parallel sessions:

Session1

Greece Mr Ioannis Sarmas “Environmental Audits by the Greek Court of Audit”

Norway Ms Sissel Iversen “ Public access to the shore”

Session 2

The European Court of Auditors Mr Armando Simoes “Audit tasks performed by the ECA concerning European direct actions to improve the quality of the environment”

Italy Ms Christiana Astraldi “A legality and performance audit concerning the prevention and managing of sea pollution”

Austria Mr Heinrich Lang “Environmental audits”

Thematic Block 3

Introductory speech

“What is required from national legislation and other instruments to be in compliance with international conventions” – presented by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Country presentations

Finland Ms Armi Jamsa “Aspects faced specifing audit criteria and how to access whether the requirements of international conventions are met at a national level

Denmark Ms JohnBek Rasmussen and Ms Heidi Lund “Examination of the Inspection of heavily polluting industries”

Compendium of Contributions gathers the copies of text and foils from the contributors at the seminar. It also contains an evaluation of the seminar, based upon a questionnaire and comments from contributors – see: www.riksrevisjonen.no/PDF/65626162.pdf