European audit leaders paid tribute to State Comptroller and Ombudsman Matanyahu Englman at the conclusion of the final EUROSAI Governing Board meeting held under his presidency, his office said.
The two-day meeting was hosted by the Italian Court of Audit in Rome on May 25-26 and brought together members of the Governing Board of EUROSAI, the European Organization of Supreme Audit Institutions.
EUROSAI serves as the umbrella organization for 51 supreme audit institutions across Europe. Englman was elected as a future president of EUROSAI in 2021 before becoming the first Israeli state comptroller to lead the organization in 2024.
At the end of the meeting, Englman received a prolonged standing ovation from members of the Governing Board in recognition of his leadership over the past two years, according to the statement.
Those who joined the tribute included heads of supreme audit institutions from Spain, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, Norway, Ukraine, Lithuania, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, and Malta, together with their delegations, as well as representatives of the audit institutions of Austria, Germany, and Luxembourg.
Israel’s first EUROSAI presidency
Englman became the first Israeli state comptroller to serve as president of EUROSAI in 2024, after previously serving as the organization’s first vice president.
During Israel’s presidency, Englman promoted cooperation among supreme audit institutions, the use of peer review as a tool for institutional improvement, greater knowledge-sharing across the European audit community, and the responsible integration of artificial intelligence into public auditing.
In a farewell speech ahead of the end of his term as Israel’s state comptroller in early July, Englman summarized his approach to public oversight.
“State audit must have a professional brain, but it must always have a human heart,” Englman said. “Behind every audit report, there are always people.”
The State Comptroller’s Office said that message reflected one of the central themes of Englman’s EUROSAI presidency: using innovation and technology while keeping public audit focused on citizens and public service.
AI in public auditing
Among the initiatives advanced during Israel’s presidency was the promotion of artificial intelligence in public auditing.
In 2024, Englman published a report assessing Israel’s national preparedness for artificial intelligence. He later led an international parallel audit initiative involving 12 countries, including France, Switzerland, Italy, and Estonia, examining the integration of artificial intelligence within government systems.
He also initiated the international “Auditing 2.0” conference in Abu Dhabi, dedicated to “Co-Auditing with AI.” The conference brought together senior representatives from the OECD, the US Government Accountability Office, the European Court of Auditors, and other public audit institutions to discuss the future of artificial intelligence in oversight.
During the Rome meeting, Englman also presided over the first EUROSAI Awards, recognizing outstanding audit reports published over the past three years.
He presented the first-place award to the Supreme Audit Office of the Czech Republic, while certificates of appreciation were awarded to audit leaders from the United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, and Ukraine.
Although Englman is set to conclude his term as Israel’s state comptroller in July, Israel will continue to hold the EUROSAI presidency until May 2027, when it is scheduled to be transferred to Slovakia.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Englman thanked the Governing Board and the broader EUROSAI community.
“EUROSAI’s strength lies in its people,” he said. “It lies in the extraordinary spirit of cooperation, mutual support, and uncompromising dedication.”