Drivers of change for the public sector:

 Bringing governments closer to citizens and businesses in a digital age through  Ethics and trust

26 September 2017

 European Court of Auditors, Luxembourg (entrance rue Erasme)

There are several factors driving change for the public sector: Some will affect the level and type of public services needed in the future, others will influence the level of funds available for public spending. The need to sustain rising populations and fuel economic growth must be balanced against the planet’s finite resources. Other factors will change the very nature of public services, such as digital technologies, able to create open, participatory and trustworthy public sectors while improving social inclusiveness and government accountability, and able to bring together public and private actors. But which also come  with an increasing number of cyber threats.

How do we reboost damaged  public trust? And how do we answer citizen’s rising demand for transparency? More ethics, integrity, and accountability would be a good start, for instance through public financial and non-financial reporting, audit, professional skepticism and more adequately skilled professionals in the public sector. But this is not without challenges linked to increased volume and complexity. Public sector accountants are being asked to take on a broader strategic and entrepreneurial role, now becoming the bridge between the public and private sectors.

To help leaders in the public sector and professional accountants prepare for an uncertain tomorrow, ACCA (The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) undertook a global study to explore which emerging drivers of change could have the biggest impact and to highlight the skills that will be required over the period to 2026.

The scale and pace of change are accelerating as never before. Having the foresight to anticipate how the changes will affect a country will help its government to prepare most effectively for the future landscape.

ACCA is thus delighted to invite you to a thought provoking conference, organised under the auspices of the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the EU, focusing on two of these prevailing winds of change called Bringing governments closer to citizens and businesses in a digital age through  Ethics and trust. It will be hosted by ECA Member Lazaros S. Lazarou at the European Court of Auditors in Luxembourg.

Please RSVP by 15 August  to cecile.bonino@accaglobal.com

Please note that due to strict security measures at the European Parliament, late registrations will not be accepted

 If you do not have a permanent pass for the European Court of Auditors, please indicate your

-Full name and first name

-Date of birth

-Nationality

-Passport or ID number

-expiry date of ID/passport

-Place of birth

-Residence ( full home address)

Draft Agenda

12.30h Registrations and Lunch

14.00h Welcome speech, Klaus-Heiner Lehne, President of the European Court of Auditors

14.05h Opening remarks, Lazaros  S. Lazarou, Dean of Chamber  V" Financing and Administering the Union",  European Court of Auditors

14.20h Panel session:  Digital transformation challenges & opportunities, moderated by Maqgie McGhee, Director of Professional Insights, ACCA  

Panelists to include:

• Arturo Rivera, OECD’s work on Digital Government and Data-Driven Public Sector
• Andrea Servida, head of Unit, eGovernment and Trust, DG CNCT European Commission
• Sandra Särav, Counsellor for Digital Affairs in the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications

15.20h Q&As

15.40h Coffee break

16.00h Panel session on Rebuilding trust: Ethics, Integrity and Accountability of Public Sector, moderated by Radoslav Sinkovic, Senior Internal Auditor,Fusion for Energy, The European Joint Undertaking for  ITER and the Development of Fusion Energy

Panelists to include:

• Thomas Mueller-Marques Berger, IPSASB CAG Chair & AccountancyEurope
• Alexandre Makaronidis, DG EUROSTAT,Implementation IPSAS/EPSAS
• Peter C.Lorson, Dean of the Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences, University of Rostock, on DiEPSAm Project
• Philippe Peuch Lestrade, IIRC,on Non-financial information and integrated reporting

17.10h Q&As

17.30h Concluding remarks Larazos S. Lazarou, ECA 

17.40h Cocktail reception