Portfolio’s holder: SAI of Finland

Portfolio’s objective: The objective of the Emerging Issues and Forward Thinking portfolio is to highlight emerging issues in the work of EUROSAI and its members, to give support to strategy level discussions and to collect information for the Governing Board to debate upon. The key drivers related to our Portfolio are the profound and rapid changes in the operational environment, and the need to renew SAI work. The overall target is to support our work to be fit-for-future. The portfolio’s work tries to identify issues and aspects, which influence EUROSAI as an organisation, the individual SAIs and the audit field as a whole.

Operational plan: Operational Plan ESP 2017-2023

Key activities: The planned activities cover information gathering and analysis, facilitating common discussions through concrete inputs and background material and organizing workshops for EUROSAI members.

1. Information gathering and analysis: NAOF engages in discussions and information gathering with EUROSAI members and SAIs of other EUROSAI regions, the IDI and INTOSAI. We monitor the work of influential emerging issues ad foresight communities, institutions, networks and think-tanks and take part in related seminars. NAOF completed an EUROSAI Emerging Issues web-based dialogue during September 2018. The web-based dialogue tool encouraged the participants to define and discuss the most important emerging issues for SAIs work in the 2020’s and how SAIs have taken the issues up in their audit work.
2. Preparatory workshops: Emerging Issues Workshop for the members of the EUROSAI Governing Board and invited guests took place on 20-21st November 2018 in Istanbul with the kind assistance of the Turkish Court of Accounts. The workshop focused on how SAIs can better be aware of emerging issues relevant to audit work. The results from the Emerging Issues web-based dialogue were reviewed. The thematic areas included digitalisation, Artificial Intelligence and cyber security. The aim of the workshop was to provide insights for further EUROSAI work leading up to the EUROSAI XI Congress in 2020.

Project Groups:

• Project Group on “Auditing the response to the COVID-19 pandemic”.
• Project Group on “Preparing for Future Risks and Climate Crisis: Time for Audit to Take a Long-term View”

Reports:

Report to EUROSAI GB (49th meeting, 2018)

Materials and documents:

Portfolio description 

Summary of the EUROSAI Web-based Dialoge Results on Emerging Issues

Portfolio’s holder: SAI of the United Kingdom.

Portfolio’s objective: The objective of the Emerging Issues and Forward Thinking portfolio is to promote excellence in audit by supporting EUROSAI members to identify and more importantly act upon emerging issues in a timely way. The Portfolio will collect information from EUROSAI members and external organisations to help identify the most relevant and strategically important issues which require members’ attention. Working collectively with SAIs in the region we will help audited institutes learn from good practice, and auditors to take practical action to improve the efficiency and impact of their audit work.

Operational plan: Operational Plan ESP 2017-2024

Key activities: researching emerging issues is one of the key areas of the Portfolio’s responsibility but equally important is identifying how to respond to these issues. The Portfolio will continue to monitor the emerging issues of the audit profession and the operating environment of SAIs and relevant stakeholders. It will carry out a review of SAI strategic plans around the EUROSAI region. This will build on the survey work carried out by the previous portfolio holder, the SAI of Finland, and also brainstorming sessions with other SAIs. The portfolio will also communicate the findings of its research and consult with EUROSAI members on which emerging issues need attention. Project groups and other channels will be used to help engage in a timely way, moving beyond discussion to taking action. The Portfolio will identify concrete actions SAIs can and should take -for example investing in skills and capabilities or better use of data-, it will work effectively with others across EUROSAI, and it will make the strategic connections to facilitate successful work across portfolios.

Project Groups:

• Project Group on “Auditing the response to the COVID-19 pandemic”
• Project Group on “Preparing for Future Risks and Climate Crisis: Time for Audit to Take a Long-term View”

Reports:

Report to EUROSAI GB (49th meeting, 2018)

Materials and documents:

Portfolio description