The 2011 annual meeting of the Contact Committee of the Heads of the EU SAIs and the ECA was held at the ECA’s premises on 13 and 14 October 2011. The meeting was attended by more than 80 delegates from the EU SAIs and the ECA, as well as the SAIs of four candidate countries (Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland and Turkey) and representatives of EUROSAI and SIGMA.

The main focus of the meeting was a seminar on the impact for EU SAIs and the ECA of the European Semester and other recent developments in EU economic governance, including the regulation and supervision of financial systems and institutions, state aid to the financial sector and audit of the euro crisis management mechanisms.

 

The seminar opened with three distinguished guest speakers who, within their respective functions, have been deeply involved in the joint effort of the EU to overcome the economic crisis: Olli Rehn, European Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs; Vítor Constâncio, Vice-President of the European Central Bank; and Luc Frieden, Finance Minister of the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg.

 

The ensuing discussions led the Contact Committee to the adoption of a statement addressed to the European Parliament, European Council and European Commission, as well as parliaments and governments of EU Member States. The Contact Committee also adopted a resolution acknowledging the call of the SAIs of the euro area countries for the provision of adequate external public audit of the European Stability Mechanism.