Public authorities are responsible for the accuracy of open data they collect, publish, and continuously validate. “Data and information should not be gathered merely because the information society of the 21st century expects it. Their purpose is above all to provide the public with reassurance that representatives of public institutions rely on high-quality and accurate data when making strategic decisions. If this is not the case, our country will continue to decline and become trapped in an information chaos,” stated Ľubomír Andrassy, President of the Supreme Audit Office of the Slovak Republic (SAO SR), at the annual conference organised by the Croatian audit institution in Dubrovnik.

Over the past two years, European auditors have been discussing, across various forums, the challenges that fundamentally shape the long-term and sustainable development of every society. The use of open data, their systematic validation, and the application of artificial intelligence in audit procedures offer a pathway toward better decision-making and more consistent accountability of public policies. Slovak auditors have long pointed to serious shortcomings in the validation of open data and information used for strategic planning and decision-making by central government bodies and ministries.

“The most visible problems emerge in public healthcare, where we repeatedly encounter major discrepancies between data provided by responsible institutions. Health insurance companies report one set of figures, the Health Care Surveillance Authority presents another, and the Ministry of Health provides different numbers altogether,” explained the SAO SR President. He added that state auditors in the Balkan region face similar issues. “Without reliable data, it is impossible to make sound decisions, and without correct data, auditors cannot assess whether the tens of billions of euros invested in public healthcare are truly helping patients, contributing to hospital modernisation and ensuring fair remuneration for healthcare professionals,” noted Mr Andrassy during a panel discussion in Dubrovnik.

Supreme audit institutions regularly exchange examples of good and bad practice in an effort to strengthen the professional competencies of auditors. Slovak experts have for several years been actively engaged in international training programmes, where they serve as lecturers helping other countries design methodological frameworks, assess performance indicators and evaluate progress in various areas of public policy. Over the next three years, SAO SR will participate in a training programme under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

With the support of international funding, auditors from seven supreme audit institutions in the Balkan region will be trained, among others, under the guidance of Slovak specialists. The training will focus not only on modelling performance audits but also on evaluating progress in the context of national commitments arising from the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDG 2030). “I am pleased that the project also includes the Slovak application MuMAP, which enables any active citizen to become a ‘citizen auditor’ and gain insight into how their municipality or city manages public funds and property,” concluded Mr Andrassy.