scholarly journals Harmonising European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS): Issues and Perspectives

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Biondi
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Specific Context ◽  
Member States ◽  
European Public ◽  
Reform Project ◽  
Public Sector Accounting ◽  
Net Assets ◽  
Pattern Of Implementation ◽  
Cash Basis

Abstract An important reform project is ongoing concerning harmonising Europe’s public sector accounting standards (EPSAS). The European Commission appears willing to mimic and take the international private sector accounting as frame of reference, following the same pattern of implementation for international public sector accounting standards (IPSAS) that was enacted for the IAS-IFRS. But the Member States did react in a different way, this time, showing alert, raising questions, and providing resistance in some cases. Public sector accounting shall be considered in the specific context provided by public finances in general, and by a monetary union in particular. This paper takes perspective on these specificities while raising issues (i) on the EPSAS-making governance; (ii) relationship between cash-basis and accrual-basis of accounting; (iii) accounting for governmental liabilities by Member States; and (iv) evidence of net assets under accruals-basis.

Harmonising public sector accounting laws and regulations of the European Union member states: powers and competences

2021 ◽  
pp. 002085232110600
Author(s):  
Karoline Helldorff ◽  
Johan Christiaens
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
European Public ◽  
Public Sector Accounting ◽  
Will Force ◽  
The One ◽  
Rules Set ◽  
The Eu

This paper analyses the powers and competences of the EU to standardise public sector accounting of the member states and to take other EU action in the field of public sector accounting. We argue that public sector accounting forms part of the administrative organisation of the member states that is not a core EU competence. EU initiatives such as the European Public Sector Accounting Standards project, which aim to increase transparency and comparability, therefore need to follow the rules set out for administrative matters in general. The study reveals on the one hand that EU actions are essentially limited to voluntary cooperation and influences of other policy areas. But on the other hand, it shows that they do not need to be limited to the initiatives currently driven by Eurostat. Points for practitioners The future of the European Public Sector Accounting Standards project is uncertain. However, it is very unlikely that it will take the shape of a top-down set of readymade EU accounting standards that will force public administrations to adjust their inner workings. Public sector accounting is not (yet) a (typical) European policy, but simply a national one that the EU can support. The EU initiative can be considered as an opportunity for collaboration and knowledge sharing on how to increase transparency of public sector accounting.

scholarly journals Open Debate on Accounting for the European Public Sector

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-163
Author(s):  
Imke Graeff
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
International Workshop ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
Accounting Regulation ◽  
European Public ◽  
Public Sector Accounting ◽  
Open Debate

Abstract This article contains the proceedings of the open debate that followed the plenary panel on ‘Accounting for the European Public Sector: The Ongoing Reform of European Public Sector Accounting Standards’ at the international workshop on ‘Which accounting regulation for Europe’s economy and society?’ organised under the auspices of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on 20 May 2015.

Pension Obligations in the European Union: A Case Study for Accounting Policy

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Biondi ◽  
Marion Boisseau-Sierra
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Financial Supervision ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Comprehensive Overview ◽  
Member States ◽  
Public Sector Accounting

AbstractPension obligations constitute a critical issue for public finances and budgets. This is especially true for the European Union whose institutional mechanism aims to supervise Member States’ spending through centralised budgetary rules based upon financial covenants. In this context, accounting methods of recognition and measurement of pension obligations become an integral and critical aspect of Europe’s transnational budgetary and financial supervision. Drawing upon a comprehensive overview of pension management and regulation, this article aims to analyse the ongoing debate on accounting for pension obligations with a specific attention to the harmonization of European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS). While the European Commission has been favouring the ‘indisputable reference’ to the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), European Member States’ practices and views remain inconsistent with the normative solution imposed by the IPSAS 25, which favours and facilitates Definite Contribution pension schemes. In this context, we do summarise the IPSAS position mimicking the IFRS, review the pension’s accounting in national statistics and EPSAS debate, and provide some building blocks for a comprehensive model of accounting for pension obligations that admits and enables several viable modes of pension management.

Harmonising European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS): Issues and Perspectives for Europe’s Economy and Society

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuri Biondi
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
International Accounting Standards ◽  
Accounting Systems ◽  
The Public ◽  
Financial Reporting Standards ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
European Public ◽  
Public Sector Accounting

AbstractAccounting systems play a hidden but fundamental role as mode and instrument of representation, coordination and organisation for the public sector and its specific public action. Therefore, financial and accounting reforms transform, implement and reshape public policies as well as the working and very existence of public administration. Last March 2013, the European Commission started a relevant project with the intention to create harmonised “European Public Sector Accounting Standards” (EPSAS) and implement them in the Member States. Between 1995 and 2002, a similar project was already achieved for private sector accounting standards-setting, leading to adoption and implementation of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) issued by International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). The EPSAS project should decide if public sector accounting standards-setting shall follow a similar pattern to converge towards the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) that transplant the IFRS in the public sector. This choice may have fundamental implications for the European (Monetary) Union, since public sector accounting and public finances are fundamental elements of its institutional framework. This thematic issue aims to provide analyses and perspectives on this ongoing public sector accounting harmonisation process in Europe, addressing its governance and contents, as well as its consequences and implications for Europe’s economy and society.

scholarly journals Challenges for European Public Sector Accounting

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-135
Author(s):  
David Heald
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
International Workshop ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
European Parliament ◽  
Accounting Regulation ◽  
European Public ◽  
Public Sector Accounting

Abstract This article is based upon the transcript of a speech given at the international workshop on “Which accounting regulation for Europe’s economy and society?” held at the European Parliament, Strasbourg, on May 20, 2015, in tribute to Mr Jérôme Haas (1963–2014), first chairman of the Accounting Standards Authority of France (ANC).

scholarly journals ‘The Challenging Task of Developing European Public Sector Accounting Standards’

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 143-145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Jorge ◽  
Josette Caruana ◽  
Eugenio Caperchione
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
European Public ◽  
Public Sector Accounting

Harmonisation of EPSASs (European Public Sector Accounting Standards): Developments and Prospects

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie-Pierre Calmel
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
European Commission ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Accrual Accounting ◽  
The Public ◽  
Governance Model ◽  
European Public ◽  
Public Sector Accounting

AbstractThe European Commission initiated a project to introduce accrual accounting in European countries that meets the objective of improving the reliability, transparency and comparability of public accounts.This article describes the importance of defining the governance model for future European public sector accounting standards, explains the need to define accounting standards taking into consideration the specific features of the public sector and illustrates these points with the accounting treatment of financial liabilities.

scholarly journals IPSAS for European Union member states as starting points for EPSAS

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (2/3) ◽  
pp. 247-264
Author(s):  
Tobias Polzer ◽  
Christoph Reichard
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Financial Reporting ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
The European Union ◽  
National Accounts ◽  
Member States ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Public Sector Accounting ◽  
Institutional Contexts

Purpose The European Commission is pursuing an initiative to establish European Public Sector Accounting Standards (EPSAS) as a common mandatory set of rules for financial reporting of all member states of the European Union (EU). As a basis for developing EPSAS, the International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) are being used. The purpose of this paper is to structure and analyze the discussion around EPSAS, with particular emphasis on the arguments that were brought forward by governments and other stakeholders of various EU countries regarding the suitability of IPSAS. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on several schools of thought in new institutional theory, how the prevailing institutional contexts in countries influence the debates is explored. Empirically, this research investigates the responses to a consultation on the suitability of IPSAS for EU member states and takes a closer look, via document analysis, at France and Germany as two critical cases. Findings It is found that, first, the majority of arguments from respondents are framed in a rational choice way. Second, skeptics of IPSAS tend to make arguments rather from positions closer to historical and/or sociological institutionalism. Research limitations/implications The paper illustrates that while technical matters around EPSAS seem solvable, political, historical and cultural differences go deeper, and need to be addressed by change agents. Regarding limitations of the research, first, the analysis concentrates on financial reporting and does not deal with the implications for more reliable and comparable national accounts in the context of the European System of Accounts (ESA, 2010). Second, it is focused on debates in the context of the EPSAS proposal, and there is a need for an evaluation after the changes have gone live. Originality/value The study looks at a text genre that has so far received less attention in public sector accounting research: responses to consultations. The paper contributes to the literature by showing how institutional contexts matter in settings characterized by contestation of reform contents.

Public sector accounting contexts in the EPSAS change: a comparative study of Italy and Sweden

2020 ◽  
pp. 002085231989468
Author(s):  
Daniele Natalizi
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Comparative Study ◽  
Accounting Standards ◽  
Standard Setting ◽  
National Standard ◽  
The Public ◽  
International Harmonization ◽  
Setting Process ◽  
European Public ◽  
Public Sector Accounting

Comparing Italy and Sweden, which are countries with different cultural and accounting traditions, this article focuses on the characteristics of their standard-setting processes for the public sector in order to evaluate their prerequisites for international harmonization. The recent attempt by European bodies to stimulate an international public sector accounting harmonization process, the European Public Sector Accounting Standards programme, requires that each country involved in the process assumes its position, taking into account a number of national factors and conditions. To this end, the research identifies the potential positive factors of a national public sector accounting standard-setting context that are favourable to international harmonization. While both countries differ in some respects, the study discusses how the ideal prerequisites can constitute a positive environment in which to implement international harmonization in the European context. Points for practitioners This comparative study identifies conditions to enhance an efficient and reliable national standard-setting process, summarizing the potential positive factors investigated in both countries. It argues that institutional arrangements and specific governance factors (a flexible legal system, efficient auditing, vertical harmonization, an inclusive and participative standard-setting process, and the maturity of accrual accounting) can support key actors in the public sector to react positively to international harmonization, with some emerging scepticism regarding the European Public Sector Accounting Standards programme.

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