European Members Show Support for Israel at the EUROSAI Governing Board Meeting

Last week (17–18 June), EUROSAI President and State Comptroller of Israel Matanyahu Englman chaired the annual meeting of the EUROSAI Governing Board, which took place this year in Sweden. As President of EUROSAI, the State Comptroller was originally due to head the meeting in person, but Israel's preemptive attack against Iran changed his plans, and he moderated the meeting virtually from the Office of the State Comptroller in Jerusalem, in coordination with the host of the meeting, the Swedish Auditor General.

43 delegates took part in the meeting, hailing from the Czech Republic, Italy, Lithuania, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, the UK, Austria, Brazil, the European Court of Auditors (ECA), Estonia, Germany, the INTOSAI Development Initiative (IDI), Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Ukraine, and Israel. The meeting proceeded smoothly and included four professional sessions that were led by the EUROSAI President.

At the end of the meeting, the Czech State Comptroller, who served as EUROSAI President prior to Englman, asked for the floor and said on behalf of all the participants: "We all closely follow the situation in Israel, we would like to send our wishes to our friends and colleagues in Israel, please stay safe and take care and we hope that peace will return soon and that we will see each other in person again."
The Czech Comptroller added in Hebrew: "לשנה הבאה בירושלים" ("Next year in Jerusalem").
Afterwards, other participants also expressed their personal support for Israel.

State Comptroller Englman concluded the meeting with the following words:
"We are meeting during exceptionally challenging times. Israel is currently facing existential threat, acting in self-defense against the escalating danger posed by a radical regime that possesses a grave threat to global stability through its pursuit of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. This danger endangers not only our nation, but also the fundamental values of the free world — and I believe that all European nations fully understand these risks.
Despite the profound grief and adversity that we face, I firmly believe in the importance of continuing our efforts — both within the framework of our work and as active participants in the esteemed EUROSAI organization.

My virtual participation in this Governing Board meeting stands as a testament to our unwavering dedication to advancing our shared goals, even amidst the most trying of circumstances. As we look ahead, I remain optimistic that brighter days lie ahead".