Activity Report on 2023: Insights into public money and government performance
The year 2023 saw several changes at the Netherlands Court of Audit. They included the appointment of Pieter Duisenberg as president and the announcement for the first time of the number of classified audit reports we published, including one on the intelligence and security services. The Court of Audit’s year is summarised in the 2023 Activity Report published today.
Secrecy not secretiveness
One of our classified reports examined the intelligence and security services. For security reasons, the report’s title and the subject matter cannot be disclosed. However, the fact that the report’s existence has been acknowledged is a step towards greater transparency. In many respects the intelligence and security services are no different from other government entities, and they must account for the public money they spend.
Security reasons mean that audits classified as ‘Secret’ cannot be shared publicly with the House of Representatives. Instead, they are submitted to the House’s Intelligence and Security Services Committee (CIVD). Secrecy is always necessary for classified audits, but secretiveness is not. The Court of Audit therefore seeks to be as open as possible regarding the number of classified publications.
Overview of all publications
This Activity Report is the first to be compiled under the responsibility of our new president, Pieter Duisenberg, a former member of the House of Representatives and who was appointed as a Court of Audit board member in 2023. In this report he looks back on the year and outlines his vision for the future.