The workshop is funded by the European Commission as part of a joint IMF and EC supported project to improve economic governance of the Western Balkans.
About this learning event
The primary objective of budget execution is to assure that expenditures are in line with annual budget and medium term fiscal constraints, and that any changes in expenditure priorities are executed in an orderly manner. Weaknesses in expenditure controls are often exposed when unacceptable levels of payments outstanding to a variety of government creditors arise – often revealed under fiscal stress. Expenditure controls in several countries in South East Europe (SEE) have been tested in recent years, revealing stocks of arrears.
This workshop will provide government officials with a framework to assess the level of vulnerability of public financial management (PFM) systems; understand the interdependencies of controls during budget execution; and explore strategies for tackling problems if they do arise.
This workshop will look at the core features of the PFM system which will help to keep the budget on track, how the various controls interact to ensure effective budget execution and examples of good practice in the region for effective budget execution control.
Learning event topics
The workshop participants will discuss the following topics:
- Regional challenges in ensuring budget credibility and regulating the budget
- Means of controlling different types of expenditure, managing in-year budget execution and multi-year projects
- The importance of managing cash effectively during execution of the budget
- Implications for IT systems
- Clarifying institutional roles and coordination
- Managing arrears if and when they become a problem
Learning objectives
By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Understand the importance of credible budget planning to successful execution
- Determine the core procedures for efficient execution and delivery of the budget
- Explain what is required for effective control of commitments
- Distinguish between cash rationing and active cash management
- Define types and causes of expenditure arrears
- Outline the features of an effective IT system to execute the budget
- Identify key institutional mechanisms for smooth coordination of budget execution
Who should attend
This workshop is designed for senior public finance officials and professional staff at ministries of finance and treasuries of South East European countries whose responsibilities are focused primarily on the execution of the budget.
The learning event will be highly participatory, and participants will be encouraged to share their experiences and country practices with their colleagues throughout the learning event.
The costs of travel, hotel accommodation, and per diems for three participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia will be funded by the European Commission (EC) as part of a joint IMF and EC supported project to improve economic governance of the Western Balkans.
Other CEF member countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia, and Turkey) are encouraged to send participants at their own expenses.
Proposed country candidates will need to be approved by the IMF in cooperation with the CEF.
Duncan Last is the new IMF Public Financial Management Advisor for South East Europe having previously been based in IMF headquarters for the last 8 years. Prior to that he had been working in the field for 20 years covering various topics in public financial management, including: PFM advisor in the IMF’s AFRITAC East Regional Technical Assistance Center; budget and treasury advisor in Slovenia also covering various countries in the region, during which time he helped establish the Center of Excellence in Finance; budget and IFMIS advisor in Mali and Papua New Guinea, debt management advisor in Papua New Guinea, and debt management software designer at the Commonwealth Secretariat in UK. He also had three other careers before public finance: teacher of physics, manufacturing engineer, and software designer. Slovenia was also where Duncan developed the most important passion of his life (after his family) - sailing. Duncan grew up in Ethiopia, where he attended the French Lycée. His interests are travel, history, environment, politics, chess and bridge.
Suzanne Flynn is a Senior Economist at the Fiscal Affairs Department. She joined the IMF five years ago after six years working in East Africa with PwC and in the Ugandan treasury. She started her career in the UK public service in 1987, starting in central government, and qualifying as a CIPFA accountant in local government in 1991. Before embarking on her career in Africa, she spent 3 years working for CIPFA in London. She has also worked in a number of Asian and Central Asian countries. Most recently she has worked with the government of Albania, and in the past has worked in Serbia. Her interests are swimming, hiking, camping, and most recently the American civil war.
