Family is the foundation of the society, therefore representatives of the V4 SAIs stressed the need to strengthen pro-family policy, and to conduct a parallel audit of this subject matter in the Visegrad Group countries.
The President of NIK took part in the meeting of the heads of V4 Supreme Audit Institutions. Participants discussed actions to be taken to financially support families, and to improve demographic indicators. President Kwiatkowski presented the results of the audit Coordination of the Family Policy in Poland, published in 2015. Krzysztof Kwiatkowski drew particular attention to the post-audit recommendations, among others: to draft objectives of a long-term, comprehensive state family-related policy, and to create a framework for the settlement of the pro-family policy.
- This should be adequately reflected in the State Multiannual Financial Plan and in the structure of the state operational budget - said the President of NIK.
The head of the Polish SAI added that it would also be justified to conduct in Poland, as was the case in Great Britain, a mandatory review of all government policies and legal acts, with regard to their impact on family, and at the same time to focus the state policy on welfare of families.
Representatives of the Visegrad SAIs assessed that in order to face the demographic challenges resulting from the ongoing aging of the society in the region, pro-family government programmes should be strengthened, and the family policy should be used as a tool to proceed accordingly. At the same time the meeting participants declared that their countries will enhance the government pro-family programmes, and in course of their legislative work V4 parliaments will determine the interest and protection of families as priority.
In course of the discussion the President of NIK suggested to tighten cooperation of the V4 SAIs with regard to the pro-family policy. The Polish, Czech, Slovak and Hungarian SAIs jointly declared to establish a working group on the pro-family policy in their countries. The next step will be to create a common database on this subject, and to eventually conduct a parallel audit of this scope in the Visegrad Group countries.
The President of NIK invited the meeting participants to the next assembly of the V4 SAIs, which will take place this June in Warsaw, and to continue discussing the pro-family related initiative in our region.
Support for families has in recent years been one of the key activity areas of the Polish authorities. Intensified actions aimed to ensure welfare of families are justified by, among others, pessimistic demographic forecasts, presented in various reports and documents of the government and non-government institutions.
