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In order to ensure the more effective operation of the internal audit mechanism of the Attica Region and to ensure the legitimacy of the services provided, the Governor of the Attica Region, Mr. George Patoulis, the Minister of Interior, Mr. Makis Voridis and the Governor of the National Transparency Authority (N.T.A.), Mr. Angelos Binis, co-signed today a Memorandum of Cooperation.
The signing ceremony, which took place at the offices of the Attica Region, was also attended by the N.T.A.’s Head of the General Directorate for Integrity and Accountability, Mrs. Maria Konstantinidou, and the Executive Secretary of the Attica Region, Mr. Selimis, who will have the overall coordination for the implementation of the individual actions of the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC).
The MoC
The MoC provides for the provision of expertise and advisory serves by N.T.A. to strengthen the internal audit function of the Attica Region. In particular, the N.T.A., through the General Directorate for Integrity and Accountability, and the Region of Attica, through the Internal Audit Department, will cooperate to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the internal audit mechanism in the Region of Attica through the following actions:
- Providing expertise for the development of methodological tools for the work of the Internal Audit Unit as well as for the harmonization with the provisions of Article 10 of Law 4795/2021.
- Organisation of training and awareness-raising activities on internal control issues.
- Monitoring, advisory support and evaluation by the N.T.A. of the work, action and operation of the Independent Internal Control Department of the Attica Region.
It is noted that the Attica Region will coordinate and will actively participate in the implementation of the general and individual objectives of the Memorandum, as well as in achieving its purpose, while N.T.A. for its part undertakes to provide technical support to the Internal Audit Department of the Attica Region, with the assistance of internal audit specialists from the General Directorate of Integrity and Accountability, contributing to the implementation of the specific actions.
The Governor of Attica Region expressed his satisfaction for the signing of the MoC, noting the following:
"We are investing in preventive control as it is an important tool for ensuring transparency and legitimacy in our services, which is our long-standing concern. This is the direction of the MoC, we are signing today, and I would like to thank both the Minister of the Interior, Mr. Makis Voridis, and the Governor of the National Transparency Authority, Mr. Angelos Binis, for their cooperation.
For us, adhering the principles of legality and reliability of our services is a priority, in order to better protect our administration and our employees, but also significantly reduce legal uncertainty. In this context, we will continue to cooperate with the State and with prestigious institutions such as the National Transparency Authority, in order to send a "loud" message that we will continue our work with "crystal clear" procedures and correctness, always with the aim of better serving the interests of citizens.
The Minister of the Interior, Mr. Makis Voridis, congratulated both the Governor of Attica Region for the initiative of signing the MoC and the N.T.A. Governor for his work, saying that it is an important move that marks Attica Region's will to operate with enhanced transparency and legitimacy, stressing, among other things:
“The strengthening of transparency and legitimacy conditions in the operation of local authorities and especially in the Attica Region, which is the largest Region in the country, is, among other things, an important factor for the development of the country. In this direction, we must establish a strong preventive audit, and improving the efficiency of internal audit is a powerful preventive process. At the same time, it is important to emphasize the training and certification of internal auditors, a process that is already underway, and we will cooperate with the Attica Region in this area as well. I hope that this important initiative of Governor of Attica Region, Mr. G. Patoulis will become a model and to be followed by other local authorities”.
The NTA Governor, Mr. A. Binis, emphasised the pivotal role of internal audit in enhancing public governance and accountability to citizens. He highlighted that the collaboration with the Attica Region will serve as a pilot project for the effective implementation of the entire internal audit system in local government organisations.