Publication: Republic of Estonia : Accounting and Auditing
Loading...
Published
2004-05-25
ISSN
Date
2013-07-25
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
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.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2004. Republic of Estonia : Accounting and Auditing. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/14548 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Digital Object Identifier
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
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 Nigeria : Accounting and Auditing(Washington, DC, 2011-06-06)This report finds that there has been limited implementation of the 2004 Country Action Plan and limited improvement in financial reporting practices in Nigeria. Nigerian authorities have successfully implemented only 6 of 14 action plans emanating from the 2004 review leaving significant areas yet to be addressed. This 2011 ROSC presents policy recommendations that take into account international experience, good practice, and local circumstances.Publication Cambodia : Accounting and Auditing(Washington, DC, 2007-05)This report provides an assessment of accounting and auditing practices within the corporate sector in Cambodia with reference to the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), and the International Standards on Auditing (ISA) issued by the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC). This assessment is positioned within the broader context of the Cambodia's institutional framework and capacity needed to ensure the quality of corporate financial reporting Cambodia is putting in place an institutional framework with regard to accounting, auditing, and financial reporting practices. However, institutional weaknesses in regulation, compliance, and enforcement of standards and rules still exist. The accounting and auditing statutory framework suffers from inconsistencies among different laws. Although the national accounting standards and auditing standards are based on IFRS, and ISA, respectively, they appear outmoded and have gaps in comparison with the international equivalents. There are varying compliance gaps in both accounting and auditing practices. These gaps could primarily stem from lack of clearer understanding by professional accountants, inadequate technical capacities of the regulators, absence of implementation guidance, lack of independent oversight of the auditing profession, and shortcomings in professional education and training. There is little awareness of the importance of quality financial information in Cambodia. Financial reporting is driven primarily by complying with requirements of shareholders, obtaining bank loans, and satisfying the taxation regime. Auditing in Cambodia is perceived as an exercise of little value. The law does not outline which standards should be followed in conducting audits. Cambodia's accounting profession is largely dominated by the members of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants of the United Kingdom. The Kampuchea Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Auditors is in its early stage of development and should be geared to contribute in creating an enabling environment for high-quality corporate financial reporting and auditing practices in the country.Publication Report on the Observance of Standards and Codes on Accounting and Auditing Update(World Bank, Vienna, 2015-03)Reports on the Observance of Standards and Codes (ROSC) Accounting and Auditing (AA) assess accounting and auditing practices in participating countries. They form part of a World Bank and International Monetary Fund joint initiative to review the quality of implementation of twelve internationally recognized core standards relevant to economic stability and private and financial sector development (the ROSC Program). Since its inception in 2000, the ROSC AA program has concluded evaluations of the AA environment in more than one hundred countries around the world. ROSC AA reports have been produced for all countries of the Europe and Central Asia Region, except Russia. This report covers the accounting, audit, and financial reporting frameworks as a whole, paying particular attention to the financial sector, state owned enterprises, SMEs and audit regulation - key areas that are important in the current economic context of Georgia. With respect to SOEs, the report focuses on the existing requirements, standards enforcement, and use of financial reports and statutory audit findings by the Government in its decision making and monitoring of SOEs. This report also discusses SMEs existing financial reporting requirements, and the need to simplify the requirements for the small and micro businesses. Finally, the report reviews the audit oversight function and a quality assurance system soon to be employed by Georgia, and provides recommendations to raise the quality of audit services through the strengthening of audit oversight.Publication Republic of Tunisia : Accounting and Auditing(Washington, DC, 2006-10)This report provides an assessment of accounting, financial reporting, and auditing requirements and practices within the enterprise and financial sectors in Tunisia. The analysis of practices is based among others on the review of a sample of 16 financial statements prepared in accordance with Tunisian accounting standards, including 6 listed enterprise sector companies, 3 listed credit institutions and 3 insurance undertakings (of which 2 are listed). The assessment uses 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 and draws on international experience and good practices in the field of accounting and audit regulation. As Tunisia deepens its partnership with the EU and becomes more integrated in the world market, the country monitors the development of the acquis communautaire and enacts legislation that draws upon it. This report recommends changes to law and regulations to align the statutory framework with evolving internationally accepted practices. As the new regulations come into force, priorities will then turn toward building the monitoring, supervisory, and disciplinary regimes necessary to ensure effective compliance.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication Global Economic Prospects, January 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-01-16)Global growth is expected to hold steady at 2.7 percent in 2025-26. However, the global economy appears to be settling at a low growth rate that will be insufficient to foster sustained economic development—with the possibility of further headwinds from heightened policy uncertainty and adverse trade policy shifts, geopolitical tensions, persistent inflation, and climate-related natural disasters. Against this backdrop, emerging market and developing economies are set to enter the second quarter of the twenty-first century with per capita incomes on a trajectory that implies substantially slower catch-up toward advanced-economy living standards than they previously experienced. Without course corrections, most low-income countries are unlikely to graduate to middle-income status by the middle of the century. Policy action at both global and national levels is needed to foster a more favorable external environment, enhance macroeconomic stability, reduce structural constraints, address the effects of climate change, and thus accelerate long-term growth and development.Publication Business Ready 2024(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-03)Business Ready (B-READY) is a new World Bank Group corporate flagship report that evaluates the business and investment climate worldwide. It replaces and improves upon the Doing Business project. B-READY provides a comprehensive data set and description of the factors that strengthen the private sector, not only by advancing the interests of individual firms but also by elevating the interests of workers, consumers, potential new enterprises, and the natural environment. This 2024 report introduces a new analytical framework that benchmarks economies based on three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency. The analysis centers on 10 topics essential for private sector development that correspond to various stages of the life cycle of a firm. The report also offers insights into three cross-cutting themes that are relevant for modern economies: digital adoption, environmental sustainability, and gender. B-READY draws on a robust data collection process that includes specially tailored expert questionnaires and firm-level surveys. The 2024 report, which covers 50 economies, serves as the first in a series that will expand in geographical coverage and refine its methodology over time, supporting reform advocacy, policy guidance, and further analysis and research.Publication The Container Port Performance Index 2020 to 2024: Trends and Lessons Learned(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-09-22)The Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) provides a global benchmark of how container ports perform in handling vessel calls. Developed jointly by the World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence, it measures the time ships spend in port and relates this to the number of containers moved during that time. This approach makes the CPPI a unique diagnostic tool that can highlight patterns in port operations and shed light on global and regional supply chain dynamics. Now in its fifth edition, the CPPI report covers the period from 2020 to 2024. It builds on a well-established methodology to generate scores for more than 400 container ports worldwide. Over time, the CPPI has become a trusted reference point for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers who seek to understand how ports adapt to shocks, recover from disruptions, and identify opportunities for investments, reform and modernization. A major innovation in this edition is the introduction of multi-year trend analysis. Rather than presenting annual snapshots, the report now tracks how CPPI scores have changed across five years. This longitudinal perspective reveals shifts in port performance, showing where scores have risen, fallen, or remained stable. By linking these movements to external factors, the CPPI offers insights into how global and regional supply chains evolve under pressure. The results clearly mirror the crises that have shaken global trade. During the COVID-19 pandemic, CPPI scores in different regions declined sharply as congestion, equipment shortages, and delays overwhelmed many ports. By 2023, global averages rebounded in parallel with easing freight markets and reduced congestion. Yet 2024 brought new challenges: the Red Sea crisis disrupted major trade lanes, while climate-related constraints at the Panama Canal added further stress. These shocks were reflected in lower global and several regional average scores, underscoring the vulnerability of maritime transport to geopolitical and environmental events. The CPPI is not about comparing one port against another, but about understanding changes in performance over time. Ports that improved their scores often did so by reducing time at anchor, optimizing berth operations, investing in digital tools, and strengthening coordination across logistics partners. The evidence confirms that improvements are possible across ports of all sizes, and that rising scores are linked to deliberate actions to minimize time in port relative to containers moved. By consolidating five years of results, this edition transforms the CPPI into a long-term reference point. It shows how global crises have affected shipping, how different regions have adapted, and what lessons can be drawn for future resilience. The World Bank and S&P Global Market Intelligence remain committed to maintaining the CPPI as a global public good, providing transparency, comparability, and practical insights to support more reliable and sustainable maritime supply chains.Publication Global Economic Prospects, June 2025(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-06-10)The global economy is facing another substantial headwind, emanating largely from an increase in trade tensions and heightened global policy uncertainty. For emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs), the ability to boost job creation and reduce extreme poverty has declined. Key downside risks include a further escalation of trade barriers and continued policy uncertainty. These challenges are exacerbated by subdued foreign direct investment into EMDEs. Global cooperation is needed to restore a more stable international trade environment and scale up support for vulnerable countries grappling with conflict, debt burdens, and climate change. Domestic policy action is also critical to contain inflation risks and strengthen fiscal resilience. To accelerate job creation and long-term growth, structural reforms must focus on raising institutional quality, attracting private investment, and strengthening human capital and labor markets. Countries in fragile and conflict situations face daunting development challenges that will require tailored domestic policy reforms and well-coordinated multilateral support.Publication The Container Port Performance Index 2023(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-07-18)The Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) measures the time container ships spend in port, making it an important point of reference for stakeholders in the global economy. These stakeholders include port authorities and operators, national governments, supranational organizations, development agencies, and other public and private players in trade and logistics. The index highlights where vessel time in container ports could be improved. Streamlining these processes would benefit all parties involved, including shipping lines, national governments, and consumers. This fourth edition of the CPPI relies on data from 405 container ports with at least 24 container ship port calls in the calendar year 2023. As in earlier editions of the CPPI, the ranking employs two different methodological approaches: an administrative (technical) approach and a statistical approach (using matrix factorization). Combining these two approaches ensures that the overall ranking of container ports reflects actual port performance as closely as possible while also being statistically robust. The CPPI methodology assesses the sequential steps of a container ship port call. ‘Total port hours’ refers to the total time elapsed from the moment a ship arrives at the port until the vessel leaves the berth after completing its cargo operations. The CPPI uses time as an indicator because time is very important to shipping lines, ports, and the entire logistics chain. However, time, as captured by the CPPI, is not the only way to measure port efficiency, so it does not tell the entire story of a port’s performance. Factors that can influence the time vessels spend in ports can be location-specific and under the port’s control (endogenous) or external and beyond the control of the port (exogenous). The CPPI measures time spent in container ports, strictly based on quantitative data only, which do not reveal the underlying factors or root causes of extended port times. A detailed port-specific diagnostic would be required to assess the contribution of underlying factors to the time a vessel spends in port. A very low ranking or a significant change in ranking may warrant special attention, for which the World Bank generally recommends a detailed diagnostic.