PRESS RELEASE BY THE NATIONAL AUDIT OFFICE EU Contact Committee Meeting being hosted in Malta, 19–20 November

The National Audit Office of Malta is today hosting the opening of the 2025 Meeting of the European Union Contact Committee in Floriana, bringing together the Heads of Supreme Audit Institutions of all EU Member States and the European Court of Auditors, with SIGMA and the SAIs of EU candidate countries participating as active observers. During the opening session, Speaker of the House Dr Anġlu Farrugia welcomed delegates and highlighted the importance of strong, independent oversight institutions in safeguarding democratic governance and ensuring that public resources are used responsibly and effectively. He also conveyed his appreciation to our National Audit Office for hosting this Meeting.

This year's highly relevant theme, 'EU Competitiveness – A Strategic Challenge for the EU and its Member States', will guide two days of discussions examining how Europe can strengthen productivity, innovation and resilience in a rapidly changing global landscape. Key expert interventions will be delivered by Sander Tordoir, Chief Economist at the Centre for European Reform, and Anna Athanasopoulou, Director at DG GROW, who will present perspectives on Europe's competitive position, investment needs and the European Commission's proposals linked to the new EU Competitiveness Fund. Delegates will later hear from Arno Kruk, Public-Private Partnership Manager at ASML, about Europe's semiconductor ecosystem and the role of Important Projects of Common European Interest in supporting strategic technological capabilities.

Throughout the meeting, participating SAIs will exchange insights from their national audit work on public investment, energy security, labour market skills, innovation and digitalisation, and will reflect on how audit institutions can best support increasing competitiveness at national and EU level. The meeting will conclude with the formal handover of the Contact Committee chairmanship to the French Cour des Comptes for 2026, reaffirming the commitment of Europe's audit community to promoting good governance, effective public spending and a more competitive European Union.

The National Audit Office conveys its appreciation to the European Court of Auditors, particularly President Tony Murphy and his team, for the close collaboration during these last months of extensive preparations for this prestigious annual meeting.