TALLINN, 4 November 2013 – Auditor General Alar Karis presented the annual report of the National Audit Office, which reviews the development of Estonia and the status of the state’s finances and economy, to President of the Riigikogu Ene Ergma earlier today.
At the meeting with Ergma, Karis said that although the title of the annual report was ‘Overview of the use and preservation of state assets in 2012-2013’, it was much broader in its scope and looked to the future instead of dwelling on the past.
“This year’s review of the situation in the development and economy of Estonia comes at a time when more and more people in society have started acknowledging the fact that the image of the state we’d like to maintain and the state we can actually afford to maintain aren’t overlapping,” the Auditor General explained. “For the first time, the National Audit Office has presented a more thorough and generalised overview of our situation and what lies ahead so as to ensure that the future’s not too unexpected.”
Karis emphasised that the demographic challenges that Estonia is facing are forcing the state to plan its development comprehensively and to assess its options critically. “In order to do that it’s necessary to take time, look yourself in the eye and ask yourself about the obligations Estonia will be able to meet in the long term,” he said. “We don’t have to ask any more whether or not we can carry on the same way.”
Karis added that the decisions that need to be made are emotionally difficult – on the one hand, we need to see what can be left undone and what we can do differently, and yet we also have to take steps to generate ‘new’ money in the state budget. “This means searching for solutions that are brave and original, but also reasonable and that actually work,” he said. “It’s important that we don’t delay in making choices and decisions until it’s too late and that we’re no longer able to influence processes that have started progressing on their own.”
Toomas Mattson
Head of Communication Service, National Audit Office
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Posted:
11/4/2013 9:55 AM
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Last Update:
11/5/2014 3:24 PM
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Last Review:
11/5/2014 3:24 PM
Auditor General presents annual report to Riigikogu
National Audit Office
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