The National Transparency Authority, in the framework of continuous education and training of its executives, organized and implemented in 2023 twenty (20) training seminars, of fifteen (15) thematic topics, which were selected by taking into account relevant proposals of the NTA Units, with a view to the acquisition, consolidation and updating of knowledge and procedures of its personnel.
In total, the seminars were attended by more than 520 Authority officials and stakeholders from the wider public sector.
The seminars were conducted by means of remote learning, via https://www.epresence.gov.gr, using the Zoom platform.
The seminars were presented by experienced NTA’s executives as well as external experts (such as executives of the Hellenic Data Protection Authority, prosecutors, rectors and professors of the country's higher education institutions, bank executives, etc.).
There was also participation at their request of all those serving in the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic, which is a recognition of the Authority's efforts for continuous staff personnel.
In order to ensure that all the seminars can be accessed by the entire NTA staff, they are video-taped and then the relevant videos and training material of each seminar are posted on the Authority's intranet, a platform accessible to all NTA’s staff.
With a view to the best possible continuous staff education and training of Greek public administration, other public bodies could also participate in the future NTA training seminars, at their request.
The successful implementation of NTA’s training programme, with the participation of both Authority’s staff and other public sector bodies in the seminars, makes it a valuable resource and model for the Greek public sector.
The thematic modules of the seminars conducted are as follows:
1. Procedures for issuing attribution decisions (starting from the audit order to the final stage of the attribution decision by the audit team)
2. Damage (concept, distinctions, determination of damage as an element of the objective substance of offences against the public)
3. Handling and searching data from the Information on- line System “ERGANI” and Digital Governance in Social Security platforms and case study
4. Learning how to develop a structured questionnaire (platform operated in the NTA) using the Authority’s available software (platform operated within the Authority) for the needs of conducting audits of the Audit Inspection Unit.
5. Audit (financial, management, etc.) of Public Legal Entities
6. Disciplinary Law: The search for responsibility in Audit Reports, the determination of disciplinary supervisors and their jurisdiction/obligations, the newest legislative changes for categories of employees and officials subject to special laws (Faculty members of universities - Doctors of the National Health Service, Assistant Doctors of the National Health Service), the Sabbatical - Suspension as administrative measures, the emergence of the jurisdiction of the NTA for objections-appeals and finally the e-peitharxika platform for the operation of which the NTA has been awarded
7. Public Works and Contracts according to Law 4782/2021, which introduced amendments to Law 4412/2016
8. Environmental licensing of projects and activities with a focus on the health and welfare sectors
9. The use of an external expert or expert witness in the audit process
10. Sampling methods
11. Public Investment Programme
12. Cybersecurity policies and their implementation in the NTA
13. Introduction to the management of co-financed operations and programmes
14. Organisational and technical measures for the protection of personal data, procedure for dealing with personal data breach incidents and legal remedies
15. Update on the new Law 5013/2023, on risk management in the public sector