Countering multi-level threats: Olga Pishchanska spoke at the High-Level Conference on Security Issues of EU Countries
On June 3, 2025, the Head of the Accounting Chamber of Ukraine, Olga Pischanska, participated in the High-Level Conference "Security of EU Countries from the Perspective of Supreme Audit Institutions", which was held in Warsaw. The event was organized by the Supreme Audit Institution of the Republic of Poland on the occasion of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The Conference was attended by over 100 delegates from 30 EU countries — in particular, heads of national supreme audit institutions, representatives of the European Court of Auditors, INTOSAI, Interpol, OECD and the International Board of Auditors for NATO (IBAN). Ukraine was represented at the forum by a delegation of the Accounting Chamber headed by the Head of the institution Olga Pishchanska and including the Acting Secretary of the Accounting Chamber Vasyl Nevyody.
The Conference participants generally paid great attention to the issues of cybersecurity, digital transformation, risks in the implementation of defense programs, as well as the need for transparent oversight of defense spending. In particular, the participants were addressed by the President of the European Court of Auditors Tony Murphy, the Secretary General of INTOSAI Margit Kracker, the Executive Director of Interpol Alberto Varano, as well as the heads of supreme audit institutions of the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Lithuania, France, Portugal, Slovakia and other countries.
Olga Pischanska in her speech on the topic «Countering multi-level threats: the Ukrainian experience of state audit» focused on the role of external audit as a tool for maintaining the proper functioning of public administration even in extreme conditions.
«The example of Ukraine has revealed the vulnerability of systems and entire sectors to multi-level crises and hybrid warfare. This includes, in particular, the vulnerability of centralized infrastructure, the need for the simultaneous functioning of a "warring" and "peaceful" state, the complicated process of long-term planning, and the lack of safe territories - long-range missiles, drones, and cyber threats from Russia leave no safe places in Ukraine. These extraordinary threats pose significant risks to both our population and the economy. In addition, they complicate the development of our defense production capacities, which must be fragmented and diversified to reduce potential losses in the event of attacks,» - said Olga Pishchanska.
The Head of the Accounting Chamber emphasized that during the years of the full-scale Russian invasion, the Accounting Chamber focused its efforts on such areas that are critical for the country's stability as defense, security, in particular digital security, healthcare, social protection, loss recording and reconstruction.
During her speech, Olga Pishchanska gave examples of audits that have become tools for systemic changes in public administration in Ukraine and emphasized the importance of monitoring the use of international assistance, in particular within the framework of the implementation of social programs, infrastructure restoration and elimination of the consequences of aggression. Concluding her speech, the Head of the Accounting Chamber emphasized the importance of cooperation with international partners in the field of auditing security programs, in particular in the context of the future functioning of the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) defense fund.
«We are open to further cooperation. In particular, within the framework of conducting parallel or coordinated audits, exchanging approaches to assessing security programs and developing audit standards in this sector. In the face of large-scale global challenges, external audit is about trust in times of instability. It is about guidelines in addressing multi-level threats. And about professional solidarity in the common effort to make our states more resilient. Thank you to each of you for your support and joint efforts on this path!, - addressed Olga Pishchanska to the participants of the Conference.
On the sidelines of the conference, the Chairman of the Chamber of Accounts also held a number of bilateral meetings. In particular, with the President of the Chamber of Accounts of the Republic of Austria, Secretary General of INTOSAI Dr. Margit Kracker, they discussed the involvement of the Chamber of Accounts in further INTOSAI initiatives, and also agreed to work on the issue of online workshops on best practices using specific audit cases. During the meeting with the President of the Supreme Audit Office of the Czech Republic, Miloslav Kala, they discussed the possibilities of further technical support of the Chamber of Accounts of the SAI of the Czech Republic, in particular, by conducting trainings for Ukrainian auditors.
As a reminder, on May 15, the Accounting Chamber participated in the annual meeting between the International Board of Auditors for NATO and the SAIs of the Alliance member states. The delegates were presented with a report on the features, challenges and role of auditors in wartime and the current state of institutional reform.
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