Modern public administration which uses public funds in a responsible manner will be part of talks with the European Union on the chapter on financial control. The results of this project will significantly facilitate that part of negotiations, Zigman said at a ceremony marking the completion of the project and awarding of certificates to public servants who passed exams for certified internal auditors.
The project was implemented from October 2003 to December 2005 and was financed by the European Union. The project was implemented by an international consortium headed by the French company SOFRECO in cooperation with the British company Helm-Corporation Ltd.
One of the main results of this project is the establishment of a department for the harmonisation of internal audit and financial control at the Finance Ministry, the so-called central harmonisation unit.
The unit's head, Ljerka Linzbauer, said the project was very successful because internal audit units had been established in all ministries in two years.
Systems of internal audit in local self-government units should be established through the implementation of the CARDS 2004 project on the further development of internal financial control and audit, Linzbauer said.
Along with the adoption of the strategy of internal financial control in the public sector and the adoption of a set of regulations in that area, the project also included the training of 80 internal auditors, of whom 67 have passed exams and performed 30 internal audits of budgetary users.