Spending reviews promote transparency and accountability and enable governments to make more informed decisions about budget allocations. Ultimately, they contribute to more efficient use of public funds, leading to improved public service delivery, and better outcomes for citizens. The World Bank is committed to supporting the region in strengthening institutional frameworks for fiscal policy, with the support from the European Union Trust Fund on Strengthening Fiscal Governance in the Western Balkan Countries.
A two-day conference on Spending Reviews as a Tool to Strengthen Fiscal Governance with Ministries of Finance and State Audit Offices from the Western Balkans will be held on April 3-4, 2024, in Vienna, Austria. The conference will convene senior officials on fiscal policy, budgeting, and external audits from the Western Balkans, the World Bank, European Commission, OECD, spending review practitioners from selected EU countries, and other development partners. The objective is to generate and share knowledge on practical approaches to design, conduct and implement the results of spending reviews, and their integration into the budgetary processes.