Invoice stations from Saxony, Vienna and Carinthia: Together for more efficiency!

Invoice stations from Saxony, Vienna and Carinthia: Together for more efficiency!

Wien, Österreich - On April 6, 2025, the heads of the invoice stations from Saxony, Vienna and Carinthia met in Saxony to sign an important “memorandum of understanding”. This document serves to initiate a peer review that focuses on the organizational examination of the Carinthian State Audit Office. The aim of this exam is to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of the fulfillment of tasks and to identify potential for improvement in organizational development. In this context, director Sedlak emphasized support to increase efficiency and process optimization.

Jens Michel, President of the Saxon Court of Auditors, regarded the examination agreement as an important foundation for future cooperation. In addition to him, director Bauer also emphasized the value of the external review for the optimization of internal processes. This peer review is carried out both by the Saxon Court of Auditors and by the Vienna City Technology Court. The latter took part in a similar peer review in 2017/18, which was carried out by the Saxon Auditors' Court and the State Audit Office in Upper Austria.

Scientific accompaniment and results

The scientific support of the current peer review is the responsibility of the Vienna University of Economics and the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria Campus Linz. In an earlier peer review of the Vienna City Court Court, there were independent anonymous customer surveys that were carried out in order to assess the services provided and show potential for improvement. The corresponding test report of the then Peer Review Team was completed in April 2018 and explained the results of these investigations. In the current case, too, the effectiveness of the examination initiatives is examined using scientific methods.

The audits of the invoice stations aim to increase transparency and accountability in public financial administration. This is particularly relevant in times when the European countries face a variety of challenges, such as the Covid 19 pandemic, which had a significant impact on the EU and its Member States in 2020. The exams, in particular that of economy and the orderness, are a central part of the work of the invoice stations, as is explained in the annual report of the European Control Authority.

strategic objectives of the EU

In 2020, the EU had 1.8 trillion euros available for expenses, including the "Next Generationeu" initiative, which was equipped with 750 billion euros. The Member States have decided to finance the parallel development program through public debt titles. In addition, a new strategy for the period 2021-2025 was developed, which is focused on the examination of EU finances and provided with three strategic goals: accountability, transparency and exams in areas with high added value.

These strategic objectives are crucial to guarantee the effectiveness of public funds and to cope with the challenges that pandemic brought with it. The experiences from the Peer Reviews of the invoice stations can flow into conceptual considerations and possibly also act as a model for future exams within the EU.

The current developments in Saxony, Vienna and Carinthia underline the importance of international cooperation in the field of financial control and the efforts to continuously improve the efficiency of public administrations through targeted test instruments.