Tag: France

INCOSAI 2025, the INTOSAI Congress, represented a decisive step for JURISAI members since the inaugural General Assembly held in Paris in October 2024.

A successful INCOSAI is reflected in broad knowledge exchange, meaningful dialogue, strengthened international cooperation, and collective decision-making on priority matters. During the Congress, and at the preceding 79th INTOSAI Governing Board meeting, the INTOSAI community convened to present, deliberate, and reach consensus on several significant issues, including the adoption of the triennial budget, the endorsement of new professional pronouncements, the approval of the Sharm El-Sheikh Declaration, and the appointment of new INTOSAI Governing Board members, among other important outcomes.

During INCOSAI XXV, deliberations focused on the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping the future of public sector auditing. Delegates from Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) around the world convened to examine the opportunities of a technological development that can have far-reaching implications for accountability, governance, and public trust.

Amid today’s complex political climate, low public trust in institutions, and tighter government budgets, the independence of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) becomes more relevant than ever in ensuring that governments manage public funds openly, efficiently and for the benefit of citizens. However, both the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) and the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI) have found that SAIs face major – and sometimes increasing – obstacles. These challenges are not just legal, but also practical—especially in their relationships with executive and legislative branches.

The French Constitution entrusts the Cour des Comptes with the task of informing the public through its public reports. The Annual Public Report (APR) is an essential vehicle for this information. The law specifies that it concerns “a major public policy issue to which the Cour des Comptes wishes to draw the attention of the public authorities and contribute to informing citizens”. In its 2024 annual public report, the Cour des Comptes examined the theme of public action to adapt to climate change.

Considering the rise in environmental concerns and the growing importance of ecological transition issues in all national and local public policies, the French Cour des comptes, the supreme audit institution (SAI) that forms the financial jurisdictions with the regional and territorial audit chambers (CRTCs), has organized with the latter to strengthen the relevance of their audit and assessment work in these areas, which already account for a growing share of their scheduled work. 

Author: Toni Gillich, INTOSAI Journal Secretary, U.S. GAO  The 26th United Nations(UN)/INTOSAI Symposium 2024 took…

The INTOSAI-P 50 document outlines twelve principles for the jurisdictional activities of Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) empowered with the corresponding mandate, which allows them to rule on the liability of individuals accountable by law in case of irregularities or mismanagement.

The French Cour des comptes and regional and territorial chambers (CRTCs) underwent a major overhaul with the reform of the financial liability regime for public managers on 1st January 2023. Until this date, the contentious functions of these financial jurisdictions were based on two distinct liability regimes: the one specifically applicable to public accountants (who handle the public fund and keep the accounts) and the one generally applicable to “authorizing” public managers (who decide on revenue and expenditure).

SAIs with jurisdictional powers are often misunderstood, and the value of their specific features is generally not fully appreciated. A SAI has jurisdictional powers when it has received the legal mandate to sanction a person on the grounds of an irregularity or damage, related to the use of public funds under the SAI’s jurisdiction and which can be imputed to that person, following contradictory-adversal proceedings.