The National Audit Office is an independent audit, evaluation and monitoring authority and its tasks are laid down in the Constitution of Finland. The National Audit Office is responsible for auditing central government finances and for monitoring compliance with the state budget and fiscal policy rules. The National Audit Office is also responsible for overseeing the funding of election campaigns and political parties.
Under the Constitution of Finland, the task of the National Audit Office is to audit the appropriateness and legality of central government finances and compliance with the state budget. The National Audit Office performs its task by conducting performance audits, financial audits, compliance audits and fiscal policy audits. The National Audit Office operates as the national audit body under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, working in cooperation with the European Court of Auditors (ECA) in the external control of Union funds.
The National Audit Office is tasked under the Act on a Candidate’s Election Funding (273/2009) with the oversight of compliance with the obligation to disclose information about election funding, making the funding disclosures available to the public and examining the disclosures. Under the Act on Political Parties (10/1969, amended by 683/2010), the task of the National Audit Office is to supervise compliance with provisions concerning party subsidies, disclosures of election campaign expenses and funding and the formulation and submission of related documents and information by political parties, affiliated entities and associations referred to in party subsidy decisions.
Provisions on fiscal policy evaluation are contained in the Act on the implementation of the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union, the implementation of Treaty provisions of a legislative nature as well as requirements concerning multi-annual budgetary frameworks (869/2012) and the Act on the National Audit Office (amended by Act 870/2012). Under the European Union law, the fiscal policy evaluation task is based on the Stability and Growth Pact and on European Union legislation (Budgetary Frameworks Directive 2011/85/EU and the Regulation on Monitoring Draft Budgetary Plans (EU) 473/2013).
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