SEMINAR ON NATURA 2000 - the EUROPEAN BIODIVERSITY, FLOOD PROTECTION AUDITS AND METHODOLOGICAL ISSUES ORGANISED WITHIN THE 4th EUROSAI WGEA MEMBERS MEETING

27-29 November 2006, Luxembourg

The aim of the seminar was the exchange of information and experiences in the selected environmental auditing areas.

The Seminar was divided into three plenary sessions:

The European Biodiversity
Flood protection auditing
Methodological lessons in environmental auditing

Additionally to the three plenary sessions  mentioned above working meeting on the “Parallel audit of the utilisation of international funds allocated for the elimination of the consequences of the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl” was organized within the seminar. SAIs which had declared their interest in cooperation on this matter  (Austria, ECA, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the Russian Federation , Slovakia, Switzerland, the UK  and the Ukraine) took part the meeting.

Basing on the introductory presentations delivered by the representatives of the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine on the Chernobyl Shelter Fund and  on the activities taken so far to initiate the International  Audit of  it’s utilization, discussion on the possible involvement of individual SAIs was held.  The participants of the meeting confirmed their interest in the suggested topic of the audit. They also raised the problem of having  mandate   to audit the utilization of Chernobyl Shelter Fund. by individual SAIs. Each interested SAI , as it was stated, will conduct the audit according to its mandate and individual programs. The audit will be conducted as a typical  parallel ( not coordinated)  audit.

At the end of the Luxembourg seminar joint report on MARPOL Convention Audit was presented and distributed. The reprt is a complitation of findings of seven national audits of marine pollution from ships. The audits were conducted between 2000 - 2003 by the supreme audits institutions of Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Toast on the finalysing works on joint audit  report was offered in Luxembourg by the audit co-ordinator - the Netherlands.