The Chief Auditor, Ms Ksenija Barjaktarović, had the opportunity to meet with Ms Victoria Del Casado, Director at ENEST.R Resources, as well as with Ms Christelle Coulard from Audit and Internal Control at ENEST.R 3, during a two-day seminar held in Tirana.

The seminar focused on models of internal and external control in the context of implementing the Reform Agenda in the Western Balkan countries.

In addition, the presentations held at the seminar clarified and enabled a better understanding of the legal requirements and expectations for beneficiaries and key stakeholders to establish, maintain, and systematically improve the management, control, and audit system for sound financial management of EU and domestic taxpayers’ money, within the framework of the Reform and Growth Facility. This is done while keeping in mind the requirements of public administration reform, public financial management, and Chapter 32 (Financial Control) in the EU accession process. Given that the RGF is a results-based financing instrument, the key question is whether the RGF control and audit system is embedded within the national control and audit system or whether there is a risk of having parallel control and audit systems.