The annual national conference of the Hungarian Hydrological Society was held in Székesfehérvár between 2 and 4 July 2025, to which the State Audit Office of Hungary was invited for the first time. At the opening plenary session of the professional event, Dr. László Windisch, President of the State Audit Office of Hungary, gave a presentation entitled ‘Water management and water affairs – experience of SAO. In the Wednesday afternoon session, Dr. Kornél Jakab, Audit Director, shared his audit experience and insights in the panel discussions on the topic of ‘Municipal and regional water management’.
During the event, those interested could listen to presentations and participate in professional discussions in a total of six additional sections on topics such as water damage control, water resource management, regional water management, municipal water management, the environmental impacts of water use, and water as a renewable energy source.
In the opening programme of the travelling conference, Dr. László Windisch, President of the State Audit Office of Hungary, presented the SAO’s audit and analysis experience in the field of water management over the past three years, as well as the audits currently underway in this area and their topics. In his presentation, he underlined that since his election, he has considered it important for the SAO to focus on topics that affect a wide range of society, one of the most important areas being water as a resource and, in this context, water management and water protection. He emphasised that it is vital that public tasks related to water management are performed as efficiently as possible, and pointed out that the State Audit Office of Hungary seeks to assist decision-makers in their decision-making not only through its audits, but also through a kind of advisory approach.
The audits confirmed that the supply of drinking water to the population in Hungary is secure and that an increasing proportion of households have access to adequate sewage treatment. Progress has been made in agriculture in terms of the efficient use of water resources, but further improvements are needed, particularly in view of the impact of climate change on water resources. The reports and analyses also highlighted the lack of an integrated approach to water management, the fragmentation of the governance system, the inadequacy of records and control of water resources and assets, and the need to renovate the deteriorated water utility networks at an appropriate pace in order to maintain a safe and economical water supply.
In several cases, the audited organisations took substantive, forward-looking measures in response to the SAO’s audit findings, either during the audit process or after its completion.
In conclusion, the President of the SAO emphasised that the greatest challenge today is to manage the extreme weather events caused by climate change, with particular regard to the increase in periods and areas affected by drought. In this context, water conservation, natural precipitation storage in the soil and water retention will be important tools for adaptation, and it is essential to shape the social attitudes and environmental awareness of current and future generations of water users on these issues.
During the afternoon programme, Dr. Kornél Jakab, Audit Director, presented his experience of audits carried out in relation to municipal water management and regional water management in panel discussions. With regard to municipal water management, participants discussed the results of changes in the drinking water supply sector and the challenges faced by the sector. In the case of regional water management, the panel discussion focused on agricultural water use, particularly issues related to irrigation.
The SAO’s reports and analyses on water management and water protection are available at the following links:
- The impact of industrial water pollution on the quality of water bodies and the effectiveness of measures taken to reduce water pollution
- Analysis – The use of geothermal energy in Hungary – Strategic, legal and financial framework
- Implementation of the National Water Strategy – Agricultural water demand, sustainable water use
- Joint report on the Results of the Cooperative audit in relation to Goal 6 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
- Audit of measures taken to implement the National Water Strategy – Audit of drinking water management
- Analysis – Wastewater and water pollution – Social and environmental sustainability in light of the UN’s 6th Sustainable Development Goal