It was the first meeting of the EUROSAI WGEA Subgroup established in Sofia in November 2004. The goal of the Subgroup is to help the SAI of the Ukraine to audit the use of funds (including EU funds) allocated for the elimination of the nuclear disaster in Chornobyl.

11 European SAIs (SAI of Austria, Belarus, Denmark, ECA, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, the Russian Federation, Slovakia, Switzerland and the Ukraine) were represented at the meeting.

The guests of the meeting were:

• Mrs Tetiana Amosowa - Deputy Minister of Emergencies and on Issues of People Protection from Consequences of the Chornobyl Disaster,
• Mr Hennadiy Rudenko - Head of the Parliament Committee on the Issues of Ecology Policy, Nature Exploitation and Elimination of the Chornobyl Disaster Consequences
• Mr Mykola Sasiuk - Director of the Department of the Ministry of Natural Environment Protection of Ukraine

The meeting was divided into two sessions. The first session was dedicated to general issues and the second one to the Subgroup’s tasks.

During the first session the guests of the meeting, representatives of the Ukrainian Parliament and Government informed the participants on the activities aiming at the elimination of the Chornobyl disaster. During this session the presentations were made by the representative of the European Court of Auditors on the ECA structure and external audits including the use of TACIS funds and by the NIK representative Mr Zbigniew Wesołowski on the radioactivity issues in audits carried out by SAIs.

During the second session participants discussed Subgroup’s tasks formulated on the basis of the results of the questionnaire distributed by the SAI of the Ukraine among the interested European SAIs. The results were made available to the participants along with the information on the international programme of financial support for the elimination of Chornobyl disaster and information on nuclear safety audits carried out by the SAI of the Ukraine up to date.

The results of the above mentioned questionnaire served the SAI of the Ukraine to prepare draft TERMS OF REFERENCE, containing description of Subgroup’s tasks and organizational framework. As proposed by the SAI of the Ukraine the draft  TERMS OF REFERENCE were to be adopted on the Kiev meeting. According to the draft TERMS OF REFERENCE the Subgroup activities should include:

• joint and parallel audits and exchange of information on their results,
• co-operation with both EUROSAI and INTOSAI WGEA,
• drafting recommendations and guidelines for nuclear safety auditing,
• auditing of public funds allocated on the elimination of consequences of nuclear disaster in Chornobyl in co-operation with the SAI of the Ukraine,
• monitoring and exchange of information on nuclear safety auditing and it’s methodology and standards.
   

With regard to the draft TERMS OF REFERENCE Mr Zbigniew Wesołowski as the EUROSAI WGEA Co-ordinator stated that the results of the questionnaire presented by the SAI of the Ukraine have shown SAI’s interest in co-operation within the Subgroup in different ways, not only those limited to the activities connected with auditing of public expenditure on elimination of consequeances of Chernobyl disaster. Mr Wesołowski underlined  that the establishment of the Subgroup requires a formal acceptance of the WGEA members, which can be  gained at the 4^th EUROSAI WGEA members meeting in autumn 2006. Having in mind the above questions Mr Wesołowski declared as a WGEA Co-ordinator to draft a formal proposal on the establishment of permanent Subgroup on Nuclear Safety Auditing within the structures of The EUROSAI WGEA and submit it at the WGEA members meeting for approval. Mr Wesołowski suggested that until the establishment of Permanent Subgroup has been formally approved,  the Subgroup should work as a task team focusing on tasks assigned by the EUROSAI WGEA members at the meeting in Sofia in November 2004, i.e. auditing public funds allocated for the elimination of consequences of Chornobyl disaster.

Taking the floor in discussion Mr Heinrich Lang, a representative of the SAI of Austria, agreed entirely with the opinion of Mr Zbigniew Wesołowski as WGEA Co-ordinator that the participants of the Kiev meeting have no mandate to established a Permanent WGEA Subgroup on Nuclear Safety Auditing. Additionally he stressed that he was not authorized to formally declare during the Kiev meeting his SAI’s participation in the Permanent Subgroup’s activities. The SAI of Austria has declared so far only its interest in co-operating with the Subgroup established in Sofia in order to assist the Ukraine in auditing the use of public funds allocated for the elimination of the consequences of Chornobyl disaster. Referring to the Permanent Subgroup’s tasks listed in draft TERMS OF REFERENCE, Mr Lang underlined that it is disputable whether the Subgroup could be responsible for drafting recommendations and guidelines for auditing of the elimination of consequences of nuclear disasters and radioactive waste management. So far all recommendations, guidelines and manuals concerning environmental issues have been developed by the INTOSAI WGEA but not by regional groups (like EUROSAI WGEA). The EUROSAI WGEA and other regional groups have been focused on auditing activities as well as exchange of information and experiences gained during audits.

Member of the ECA, Mr Jacek Uczkiewicz, has also taken the floor in discussion. He stressed that he was not authorized to declare the ECA’s access to the Subgroup but he (the ECA) is open for co-operation with the SAI of the Ukraine and other interested SAIs on auditing of the use of funds allocated for the elimination of consequences of  Chornobyl disaster.

The rest of participants of Kiev meeting have not taken the floor in discussion, but in behind-the-scene talks expressed their expectation that tasks to be performed by the Subgroup (acting as a working group on auditing of the elimination of consequences of Chernobyl disaster) would be clearly formulated. This would allow them to consider the extent of their SAIs’ involvement in its activities.

In closing remarks President of the SAI of the Ukraine Mr Valentyn Symonenko invited the participants to visit  Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and announced that the Ukrainian part in co-operation with the NIK as WGEA Co-ordinator would draft the agreements of the Kiev meeting and distribute it among the participants.

As a result of the discussions the following has been agreed:

• The Supreme Chamber of Control will review the draft agreement of Kiev meeting and forward the revised document to the Ukrainian part who will prepare a final version and distribute it among the participants in order to be reviewed and accepted.
• Chairman of the EUROSAI WGEA, Mr Mirosław Sekuła, President of the Supreme Chamber of Control will present the idea of establishing a permanent Subgroup on Nuclear Safety Auditing within the structures of the EUROSAI WGEA at the EUROSAI Governing Board meeting.
• The draft  TERMS OF REFERENCE developed by the Ukrainian part will serve as a basis for the Supreme Chamber of Control as Co-ordinator of the WGEA to draft a proposal of establishing the permanent Subgroup on Nuclear Safety Auditing. This proposal will be submitted to the EUROSAI WGEA members meeting in autumn 2006.
• Until the permanent subgroup is established, the subgroup will work as a task group to audit the use of public funds allocated for elimination of the consequences of Chornobyl disaster.
• The Ukrainian part will develop a draft framework of the audit of the use of public funds allocated for elimination of the consequences of Chornobyl disaster and will make it available for interested SAIs – members of the task group in order to be reviewed and to enable them to decide what can be their SAIs’ involvement.
• At the 10th INTOSAI WGEA members meeting to be held in Moscow in October 2005 the Supreme Chamber of Control as the EUROSAI WGEA Co-ordinator will present Group’s activities in the years 2004 – 2005 and give the floor to the representative of SAI of the Ukraine to inform about the idea of establishment a Permanent Subgroup on Nuclear Safety Auditing.

 Documents (final versions approved by interested SAIs):

• Agreement of the Kiev Meeting
  
• Terms of Reference