Accounting and Auditing Assessment
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Publication
Republic of Poland : Accounting and Auditing
(Washington, DC, 2005-02)This report acknowledges the very significant progress achieved by Poland under the leadership of the Ministry of Finance, since publication of the first accounting and auditing ROSC report in July 2002. This report provides an assessment of accounting, financial reporting, and auditing requirements and practices within the enterprise and financial sectors in Poland. Companies are required to prepare their financial statements in conformity with Polish accounting requirements, based on the Fourth and Seventh European Union (EU) Company Law Directives, and provide a simplified financial reporting framework for small and medium sized enterprises. Banks are required to prepare their consolidated financial statements in conformity with endorsed International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and their legal entity financial statements in conformity, either with accounting regulations set by the Minister of Finance based on the Banking Accounts Directive, or, with endorsed IFRS. Insurance companies are required to prepare their financial statements in conformity with accounting regulations set by the Minister of Finance based on the Insurance Accounts Directive. Companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange are required to prepare their consolidated financial statements in conformity with endorsed IFRS. This report recommends that public interest entities be required to prepare their consolidated financial statements in conformity with IFRS. Clearly, this measure would go a step ahead of the current requirements of the acquis, as this is not yet required by the EU-other than for the consolidated financial statements of listed companies-however, the ROSC team believes that it would be valuable for enhancing the transparency of financial reporting of public interest entities. This report shows that priorities should now turn to building the monitoring, supervisory, and disciplinary regimes necessary to ensure effective compliance. This assessment demonstrates that the effective enforcement of accounting, auditing and ethical standards is the next challenge that Poland has to tackle. While the report highlights a major program of required reforms to ensure practices catch up with recent regulatory enhancements, the report commends Poland for its achievements to date, some of which go beyond what is presently required by the acquis communautaire and what "peer" large EU Member States are presently doing. -
Publication
Republic of Slovenia : Accounting and Auditing
(Washington, DC, 2004-10-11)This assessment of accounting and auditing practices in Slovenia focuses on the strengths and weaknesses of the accounting and auditing environment that influence the quality of corporate financial reporting, and involves a review of both mandatory requirements, and actual practice. It uses International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs), and International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), and the relevant portions of European Union (EU) law (also known as the acquis communautaire) as benchmarks, and draws on international experience and good practices in the field of accounting and audit regulation. Slovenia adopted a gradualist approach to economic reform: the first stage of privatization of socially owned enterprises began in 1992, using different measures, including management and employee buyouts, voucher privatization via investment funds, and direct sales. However, the process resulted in a dispersion of ownership among various state institutions, investment funds (which have remained passive owners), and, most notably, managers and employees. The banking system is relatively well developed by central European standards, and the system is sound and well capitalized, with a low proportion of nonperforming loans. Although the Ljubljana Stock Exchange was established in December 1989, it has failed to challenge the banks as a source of funding for the corporate sector, or a destination for the population's savings. However, a broad range of Slovenian enterprises became listed toward the end of the 1990s. The insurance industry is developing: the state retains an 85 percent stake in the market leader, and, insurance penetration, expressed in terms of premium as a percentage of GDP (5.3 percent including health), is the highest among the transitional Central European countries. As new regulations come into force, priorities are now turning to build the monitoring, supervisory and disciplinary regimes necessary to ensure effective compliance. This assessment demonstrates that the effective enforcement of accounting, auditing and ethical standards is the next challenge that Slovenia has to tackle. This report draws upon recent international experience in developed economies and accession countries, as well as expected amendments to the acquis communautaire, and recommends that Slovenia strengthen the enforcement of accounting and auditing standards. -
Publication
Hungary : Accounting and Auditing
(Washington, DC, 2004-06-20)This report provides an assessment of accounting, financial reporting, and auditing requirements and practices within the enterprise and financial sectors in Hungary using International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS),International Standards on Auditing (ISA), and the relevant portions of European Union (EU) law (also known as the acquis communautaire) as benchmarks. It also draws on international experience and good practices in the field of accounting and audit regulation. -
Publication
Republic of Estonia : Accounting and Auditing
(Washington, DC, 2004-05-25)This report provides an assessment of accounting, financial reporting and auditing requirements and practices within the enterprise and financial sectors in Estonia. The report uses International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs), International Standards on Auditing, and the relevant portions of European Union (EU) law (also known as the acquis communautaire) as benchmarks and draws on international experience and good practices in the field of accounting and audit regulation. -
Publication
FYR Macedonia: Accounting and Auditing
(Washington, DC, 2003-06-24)This report is on institutional arrangements for observing the International Accounting Standards (IAS) and International Standards on Auditing (ISA) in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYR Macedonia). The current Trade Company Law requires all entities to comply with a translated 1999 volume of IAS. The Government is currently preparing a new Trade Company Law and has taken proactive steps to update the translation of IAS, which is expected to resolve existing deficiencies. In practice, compliance with IAS is not effectively enforced. Most of the financial statements reviewed by the ROSC team were of such poor quality as to preclude investors and other users from judging whether a company's securities were a sound investment; nor could the documents be relied on for other decision-making purposes. This report recommends that public interest entities be required to use IAS. It also recommends that small- and medium-size enterprises be allowed to use a reporting framework more adapted to their size. This report also recommends strengthening accounting standards enforcement mechanisms in order to enhance compliance with the law and provide investors and other users of financial statements with reliable financial reporting. Furthermore, drawing on recent international experience in developed economies and accession countries, this report recommends the establishment of a regime of delegated regulation of the auditing profession, subject to adequate oversight. The Government is currently preparing a new Audit Law that is expected to resolve existing deficiencies and be in conformity with the acquis communautaire (European Union law).