SAO President at a meeting with Ambassadors: The EU’s concept of sustainability is at odds with rising debt
PRESS RELEASE ON THE MEETING WITH EU AMBASSADORS – 22 April 2026
“In the European Union’s economy, we have ceased to respect economic principles. Sustainability, as the EU conceives it, is at odds with rising debt. We are taking on more and more debt, thereby depleting the resources of future generations.” This was stated by Miloslav Kala, President of the Supreme Audit Office (SAO), on Wednesday, 22 April 2026, at the now-traditional meeting with EU Ambassadors. The SAO President sees a way out of this vicious cycle in a transactional approach to the economy: “We must abandon visions that we finance through debt and at the expense of future generations and instead come up with ones that will bring growth and lead to increased competitiveness among European countries.” He noted that the SAO has been highlighting these issues in its audits for a long time.
“The SAO provides answers, but the next steps depend on those responsible for deciding how public funds are allocated. And often, this also involves European subsidies and the people who distribute them and are supposed to oversee them,” added Miloslav Kala.
According to him, the problem lies in the very structure of the system—specifically, that it supports projects that do not meet the objectives of the funding, offer no added value, and may even lead to fraudulent behaviour. “Such a system is flawed, unmanageable, and unsustainable,” he emphasised. He believes that the entire system needs to be overhauled so that subsidies help both the Czech Republic and the EU jumpstart their economies and restore European countries to their status as competitive global players. He stressed that now is the right time for change, as decisions are currently being made regarding the EU’s future multiannual financial framework: “I would very much dislike for us to end up with the same results in eight years—inefficient use of EU funds on projects with no results, no added value, and no impact,” he emphasised.
In his speech, Miloslav Kala called on the Ambassadors present to support the auditors in their countries’ supreme audit institutions and to give them the courage and strength to persevere in their work and not back down. “Perhaps they face the same challenges as we do here in the Czech Republic and sometimes find themselves fighting a losing battle. Listen to them; be their advocates. You are not doing this for yourselves, but for your children and your grandchildren,” added the SAO President.
Representatives from 22 EU countries, including 12 Ambassadors, visited the SAO headquarters in Prague’s Holešovice district. The guests also included representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the European Commission.
Communication Department
Supreme Audit Office