The work of the Accounting Chamber specialists in the audit of the Danube Transnational Program: Report for 2024

The Audit Chamber's Group of Auditors fully completed the audit tasks of the Danube Transnational Program assigned to it within 2024. The corresponding Report on the work of the Audit Group on this Program was presented by the Deputy Chairman of the Accounting Chamber responsible for the direction, Sergiy Klyuchka.

The Danube Transnational Program – a key funding instrument for policy integration in line with European standards in the Danube region. The aim of the programme is to help the heterogeneously developed countries of the region address common challenges and needs in specific areas through the development and practical implementation of policy frameworks, instruments, services and identified pilot investments.

The Programme's priority areas are: innovation, social, environmental and cultural responsibility, improved infrastructure connectivity and energy efficiency, effective governance in the Danube region.

The Programme's audit authority is the Directorate-General for Audit of European Funds (Hungary). The Chamber of Accounts has been involved in the audits of the Program since 2018, in particular, a group of auditors has been created in the institution to assist the EU authorized audit bodies in conducting audits of management and control systems at the national level.

In 2024, the specialists of the Chamber of Accounts processed the tasks of the Audit Authority of the Program, including analyzing:

-  the draft annual control report and the audit opinion thereto;

-  the draft audit strategy (amended);

-  elements selected by the external independent auditor for the audit;

-  draft report on the audit of project operations.

In addition, the head of the control department in the field of agro-industrial complex of the Control Department  (audit) in the field of agro-industrial complex, use of natural resources and environmental protection Serhiy Kryvosheya at the invitation of the Audit Authority of the program took part in the «Central European Conference of Audit Authorities» (September 2024, Budapest),where a number of problematic issues related to ensuring transparency and control over public procurement were discussed.

The Danube Transnational Program operated from 2014 to 2023. It is currently in the process of being closed, and the Accounting Chamber continues to perform its control functions in this process.

For information. The program covers nine European Union Member States: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Germany, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia; and five non-EU countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, and Ukraine. In Ukraine, the program covers projects in  four regions: Odessa, Ivano-Frankivsk, Chernivtsi, and Zakarpattia. Over the years of operation, the Program has reimbursed project costs in the amount of more than 230.0 million euros.