On 3 May, the Ministry of Finance has put forward the Bill on Controlling and Supervision System of Public Administration (zákon o řídícím a kontrolním systému ve veřejné správě). The Bill reflects commentaries of the European Union on the financial control. Instead of that, the Ministry has proposed the Bill in connection with obstacles of using EU-funds money in last year.

The Bill unifies the supervision of public money spending no matter of the source of money. The basic principle is that the any public budget should be under the same supervision, i.e. the “European” money (EU-funds money), state budget, and regional and municipal budgets should be treated according to the Bill. The Bill stipulates the managerial responsibility of mandators (both for incomes as well as expenditures). Further, the Bill regulates the auditing system. In the future, the public budget administrator should be responsible for auditing of its own budget. The state of internal budget message with any recommendation is stipulated as crucial during the successive handling of the situation. The Bill also introduces the possibility to set up Committees on Audit when the administrator assumes it convenient.

An enhanced control responsibility is vested on the Ministry of Finance. The Ministry should regulate the process of internal audit, and methodologically supervise the financial control within public budgets. That enhanced position of the Ministry is a reaction on one of the criticism regarding the North-West Development Program (ROP Severozápad) and malpractice during the using of the EU-funds money (for more, see here).

The Bill is currently in the internal commentary procedure. The Ministry welcomes any further till 20 May.

For further information, click here (explanatory report).