Department of Accounting & Business Law
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ECA & Aalto University School of Business Summer School 2025 (Helsinki-Espoo): One Year After Draghi’s Report – Outlook for the EU’s Budgetary Policy
ECA’s Summer School returns in 2025, now in Helsinki-Espoo with Aalto University, uniting EU auditors & civil servants on public auditing.
When
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Where
Room V001 Jenny ja Antti Wihurin Rahasto, School of Business
Ekonominaukio 1, 02150, Espoo
Registration fee
1500 EUR
Event language(s)
English
Background
After several successful editions of the European Court of Auditors’ (ECA) Summer School in Pisa and Luxembourg, the concept returns to unite auditors and civil servants from across the EU to discuss the topics that shape the environment of public auditing. To this end, ECA has initiated a new academic partnership with Aalto University School of Business, and we are excited to invite participants to join the 2025 edition of the Summer School in Helsinki-Espoo.
Scope
In an era of rapid change and multiplying geopolitical challenges, auditors must enhance their ability to understand and analyse shifts in policy, economics, and society. They need to proactively identify and address emerging risks while refining their audit methodology to stay relevant. This requires not only technical audit expertise but also a good understanding of the broader context in which the auditors operate.
Recognizing this need, ECA and Aalto University School of Business have joined forces to launch the 2025 edition of the Summer School. This year’s theme, “One Year After Draghi’s Report – Outlook for the EU’s Budgetary Policy,” emphasizes the importance of equipping auditors with the tools and insights necessary to evaluate the implications of EU budgetary policies in the next phase of EU politics.
The Summer School is a unique opportunity for professional auditors, civil servants, and scholars to stay at the forefront of developments in auditing. Participants will explore how global trends, such as the green transition, digitalization, and geopolitical shifts, impact the audit environment and how to prepare for and adapt to new challenges.
In line with the ECA’s strategic objectives, the Summer School will:
- Foster collaboration between auditors and the academic community to bridge theory and practice.
- Provide high-quality, context-aware training that reflects the dynamic nature of the audit profession.
- Create a platform for critical discussion and insight-sharing on audit-related challenges, with a focus on the EU’s evolving fiscal landscape.
The 2025 Summer School will leave participants better prepared to adapt to the demands of a rapidly changing world and contribute to shaping a resilient and forward-looking audit profession.
Setting and participation
The 2025 Summer School will take place from Tuesday 3rd of June to Thursday 5th of June 2025 in the premises of Aalto University School of Business’s Otaniemi Campus in Espoo, Finland (only 5 mins walk from the Metro station). This event will be a closed workshop environment with approx. 70-100 participants from the ECA, national audit institutions, as well as colleagues from other European and international institutions.
Ahead of the main days of the seminar, an additional networking event shall be held in the evening of the Monday 2nd June in Central Helsinki for those participants who have already travelled to Finland.
The fee for participation is 1500 EUR and includes daily lunches and coffee service for the three seminar days.
Registration: eca-aalto2025@aalto.fi
The event is primarily intended for Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), but other interested parties are also welcome to participate (subject to availability).
All information presented is subject to change prior the seminar dates 3-5 June 2025. Any changes that occur in the schedule and list of speakers will be communicated to participants as soon as they are confirmed.
Please note that photography will take place throughout the duration of the summer school. If you do not wish to be photographed, kindly inform one of our organizers.
Contact Us
Malla Ylöniemi
ECA Finnish Cabinet
for practical and logistical questions
Elmo Torppa
ECA Finnish Cabinet
for content related questions & media inquiries
More Information
Practical Information
Participants (or their organizations) are responsible for arranging their own travel to Finland and covering their accommodation expenses in Helsinki.
ECA Summer School is held at the Aalto University in Otaniemi campus. How to access the campus: Campus maps, addresses and opening hours in Otaniemi | Aalto University.
The daily panel discussions are located at the Aalto University School of Business, in room V001. Location: .
Taxis and ride-hailing services like Uber and Bolt are available, but the most convenient way to travel around Helsinki and Espoo is by public transport. The Helsinki region has an extensive and reliable public transportation network operated by HSL. Our campus is conveniently located right next to the Aalto University metro station.
To use public transport (metro, buses, trams, and local trains), you’ll need an HSL ticket. Tickets can be purchased via:
- The (recommended for ease and flexibility)
- R-kioski convenience stores (for day tickets)
- directly on board (buses, trams) or by metro entrances
- HSL ticket machines or service points (note: not all metro stations have ticket machines)
Event badges can be collected at the Networking event on Monday or before the welcome session at Aalto University on Tuesday. Please note that a valid identification document is required for badge collection.
Lunch is included in the participation fee for the days of the panel discussions. It will be served at Restaurant Arvo on the Otaniemi campus. More details about the restaurant can be found here: .
For those arriving on Monday 2nd of June, ECA Summer School will host a Networking event at Aalto University Töölö. The event will take place in the evening at approximately 7 pm. The participants will receive more details closer to the date. Venue: Aalto University Töölö | Aalto University. Address: Runeberginkatu 14-16, 00100 Helsinki. (Please note, that the location is different than the conference days held in Espoo)
Programme
Stay informed with the latest updates on the conference schedule and speakers here.
Schedule may be subject to change prior to the start of the conference.
The discussions will be moderated by Damijan Fišer, the Master of Ceremony for the Summer School. Damijan is a senior communication officer and the deputy spokesperson at the European Court of Auditors, where he frequently moderates the institution’s press briefings and corporate conferences. He has been EU civil servant since 2005, when he joined the ECA as a translator. Since 2010, he has been working in communication and media relations. In 2021, upon the request by the Permanent Representation of Slovenia to the EU, he was loaned out to the Representation under the auspices of Slovenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he acted as the leader of the communication team and COREPER II spokesperson for the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU. He has obtained his BA and MA in the literatures in English from the Faculty of Arts Ljubljana, Slovenia, and is active as an EU staff ambassador, promoting careers in EU institutions to the youth.
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19:00 - 21:00 | Pre-Conference Cocktail Event
Venue: Aalto University Töölö | Aalto University. Address: Runeberginkatu 14-16, 00100 Helsinki. (Please note, that the location is different than the conference days held in Espoo)
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8.15-8:50 | Registration
Register your attendance and receive you name badges at the Aalto University Business School’s Lobby.
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9.00-10.30 | Session 1: Summer School 2025 opening speeches:
Petri Sarvamaa, Member of the ECA and Host of the 2025 Summer School
Timo Korkeamäki, Dean of Aalto University School of Business
Henna Virkkunen, Commissioner and Executive VP for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy
Elina Valtonen, Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs
- 10:30-11:00 | Coffee Break
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11.00-12.30 | Session 2: It’s all about competitiveness – One year on from the Draghi report.
Lassi Noponen, Director General of Business Finland
Marjut Falkstedt, Chief Executive at European Investment Fund
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12:30 - 14:00 | Lunch Break
Venue: Arvo Restaurant, School of Business
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14.00-15.30 | Session 3: Geopolitical turbulence and global trend of authocratization - what are the challenges facing our budget?
Teija Tiilikainen, Director of Hybrid CoE
Dinesh Rempling, Director of Capability Transformation Division at FRONTEX
Kristi Raik, Director of International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS)
Marina Nord, Postdoctoral research fellow at the V-Dem Institute
- 15:30-16:00 | Coffee Break
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16.00-17.30 | Session 4: Europe in crosswinds - Where do we stand in regards to US and China?
Paolo Guerrieri, Italian Ex-Senator, Visiting Professor at Sciences Po, Paris School of International Affairs
Vesa Vihriälä, Economist, Former Director of Research Institute of the Finnish Economy (ETLA)
Juha Jokela, Programme Director (EU and Strategic Competition) at FIIA
Timo Sysiö, Diplomat, Editor-in-Chief Kauppapolitiikka
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9.00-10.30 | Session 5: The missing piece of the puzzle: industrial policy?
Annemie Turtelboom, Member of the European Court of Auditors and former Belgian minister
Helge Berger, Deputy Director of the IMF’s European Department
Timo Jaatinen, Permanent Secretary of the Finnish Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
- 10:30-11:00 | Coffee Break
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11.00-12.30 | Session 6: AI: Saviour or Monster? What it can really mean for us.
Peppiina Huhtala, Senior Legal Advisor at the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK)
Susanna Lindroos-Hovinheimo, Professor in the University of Helsinki
Jussi Vasama, CEO of Digital Workforce
Mark Steinkamp, Managing Director of M8International
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12:30 - 14:00 | Lunch Break
Venue: Arvo Restaurant, School of Business
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14:00 - 15:30 | Session 7: Emerging trade wars – is Europe prepared and what are our interests?
Lotta Nymann-Lindegren, Director of EU Affairs at the Confederation of Finnish Industries (EK)
Juho Romakkaniemi, CEO of the Finland Chamber of Commerce
Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, Director of European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE)
- 15:30-16:00 | Coffee Break
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16.00-17.30 | Session 8: Growing defence expenditure – opportunities and budgetary oversight.
Francois Gautier, NATO, Head of Internal Oversight
Tuomas Iso-Markku, Senior Research Fellow at FIIA (expert in EU’s role in security and defence matters)
Kari Renko, Executive Vice President, Strategic Programs at Patria
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9.00-10.30 | Session 9:Ahead of new MFF: Lessons learned from the setup of RRF – challenges and opportunities affecting the outlook of EU budget.
Siegfried Ruhl, Hors Classe Adviser at DG BUDG
Lorenzo Codogno, Former Chief Economist of the Italian Treasury, Visiting Professor at LSE and CoE
- 10:30-11:00 | Coffee Break
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11.00-12.30 | Session 10: How do we tackle wrongdoings - Insights from EU’s watchdogs.
Niclas Herbst, MEP, Chair of the European Parliament’s Budgetary Control Committee (CONT)
Ville Itälä, Director of OLAF and former member of the ECA
Alejandro Blanco Fernández, Member of the ECA
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12:30 - 14:00 | Lunch Break
Venue: Arvo Restaurant, School of Business
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14.00-15.30 | Session 11: EU’s new budgetary mechanisms, experience with the RRF and how to keep control in the future?
Celine Gauer, Director General of SG.REFORM, previously Director General of Commission’s Recovery and Resilience Task Force (RECOVER)
Leena Mörttinen, Permanent Under-Secretary for International and Financial Markets Affairs at the Finnish Ministry of Finance
Päivi Leino-Sandberg, Professor in the University of Helsinki
Martin Weber, Director of Chamber IV at the ECA
- 15:30-16:00 | Coffee Break
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16.00-17.30 | Session 12: Closing session: Where do we go from here?
Petri Sarvamaa, Member of the ECA and Host of the 2025 Summer School
Sami Yläoutinen, Auditor General of the Finnish Supreme Audit Institution, VTV
Conference Organizers
School of Business
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