The treasury office has launched a new digital tool allowing citizens to monitor the implementation of the state budget through open, interactive data, accountant general Andreas Antoniades said.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Antoniades said that the platform, based on Microsoft Power BI, forms part of the wider digital transformation of fiscal management and is designed to improve transparency, accountability and public access to financial information.

Antoniades said the initiative marks a new stage for the general accounting office, as it gives the public direct access to reliable and regularly updated data on the execution of the state budget.

He stated that “the use of modern digital tools is a basic prerequisite for enhancing transparency and accountability in fiscal management.”

“Transparency acquires substantial content when citizens can have direct access to data and understand it, which strengthens trust in public administration,” he added.

Through the new PowerBI tool, citizens can view state budget implementation data from 2021 onwards, with information available by year, month, income and expenditure category, and government agency.

The tool also allows users to compare budgeted and actual figures, analyse deviations, extract information by period and use dynamic filters for more targeted searches.

According to Antoniades, the platform is addressed to society as a whole and not only to specialists or professionals in the field.

He said that, through interactive visualisations, users are given a fuller picture of the state’s fiscal course, including the monitoring of revenues and expenditure and their comparison with initial forecasts.

At the same time, he said the tool supports the timely identification of trends and developments, helping the public form more informed views on public finances.

Antoniades reiterated the treasury office’s commitment to continuously upgrading its digital tools, with sound fiscal management and the public interest as key priorities.

The tool is publicly available through the Power BI online platform via the state budget link, as well as through the general accounting office website.