The implications of the accounting harmonization process on EU countries : a case study of Greece and Romania

Abstract

The progressive globalization of the financial and capital markets, the elimination of the national frontiers, the intensification and increase of the international transactions’ number, the spreading of the global companies, the increase of the global economy’s integration degree and the awareness of the fact that the values recorded in the financial statements are influenced by the accounting language adopted for expressing them are, altogether, the main factors that have determined the EU to choose the accounting harmonization way in making the financial statements of the communitarian companies. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the analogies and differences existent between the national accounting legislation and the international accounting practices, insisting on the implementing difficulties of these standards, varying with the economic culture of certain states, among which Greece and Romania. In the idea of the accounting unification Greece was also interested, in the same measure as the other member countries, but the authors will insist on the repercussions these accounting standards’ adoption had on the stakeholders categories, which were interested in the financial reports.