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EN 
The cooperation and technical assistance programme between the National Transparency Authority (NTA) and Expertise France, implemented with the support of the European Commission's Structural Reform Service (SRSS), has been successfully completed. In this context, a conference was organised on "Internal audit in local government”.
The project aimed at providing know-how for the creation and operation of Internal Audit Units in 15 Local Authorities and in one Decentralised Administration, while an Internal Audit Manual for Local Authorities in Greece was prepared, accompanied by a practical guide, which was presented at the conference.
The Governor of NTA had the opportunity to present the role of the Authority both with regard to the Internal Audit function and with regard to the strengthening of integrity and transparency mechanisms in the Greek public administration as a whole. Mr. Binis presented the key organisational and operational characteristics of the internal audit function in a public organisation, presenting examples of how internal audit can detect opportunities for process improvement, identify risk hotspots and propose appropriate internal controls to address these risks.
The Governor of the NTA also stressed that Internal Audit is the appropriate and necessary tool to enhance transparency in programmes and policies, saying that "we need to regain the trust of citizens towards local government bodies, to approach them anew and to prove that there is transparency both in decision making and in the design and implementation of public policies and actions, always in the interest of local communities". Using practical examples from the daily processes of local government organizations, the Governor of NTA likened internal audit to the compass that shows the path to achieve the operational objectives of each organization, stating that Internal Audit allows "the top management of an organization how to structure the internal processes, so that with respect to the Greek taxpayer's money to bring the best possible result and offer high quality services. Mr. Binis stressed that the Authority is here to assist public bodies with standards and methodological tools, given that the second operational pillar of the NTA has precisely this mission, to be the companion and ally of all public bodies in their efforts to acquire a modern internal control function".
Among other distinguished speakers, the Ambassador of the French Republic to Greece said that "the French Government has always supported the actions of the Greek Government to strengthen integrity and transparency mechanisms", the Minister of Interior Mr. P. Theodoricakos who stressed that "the Ministry of Interior stands by the innovative initiatives and actions of the NTA for the strengthening of Internal Audit", the Governor of Attica and President of KEDE Mr. G. Patoulis saying that "Internal Audit is an important tool for local government elected officials" and the Mayor of Athens Mr. K. Bakoyannis who noted that "today local government needs a governance model based on three principles: transparency, accountability and participation. In this context, we need an effective internal audit function that will be a key tool for strategy formulation, the operation of management systems and the achievement of the objectives of our institutions".