Report on the Flemish Public Accounts 2021

The Court of Audit has presented the results of its audit of the Flemish government's accounts for 2021 in its accounts report to the Flemish Parliament. The 2021 financial year was still partly marked by the financial consequences of the corona pandemic, which the Court of Audit estimates at 1.8 billion euros. However, a number of key figures improved strongly compared to the previous year. Flemish government also took a number of recommendations from the Court of Audit to heart, such as the valuation of subsidiary companies or the creation of various provisions, so that Flemish public accounting is now more in line with reality. The Court of Audit was therefore able to approve all accounts, except for the economic accounts, on which it cannot make a judgment for the time being due to too many uncertainties. For example, many plots of land and buildings as well as civil engineering works are missing from the balance sheet. The off-balance sheet obligations, for example for the Oosterweel project, have not yet been sufficiently explained. Finally, the Court of Audit discussed a number of socially relevant policy themes, such as the development of the Flemish recovery plan, the waiting lists in childcare and care for people with disabilities, and the implementation of policy intentions regarding solar panels and target groups. The message is usually that the Flemish government is making progress, albeit insufficiently to fulfill all legislative ambitions.