Revisiting the EU endorsement process of IFRSs in view of the forthcoming ISA adoption : local perspectives and suggestions

Abstract

Having endorsed a set of financial reporting standards, the EU is now in the process of endorsing a set of auditing standards. The latter is sought to enhance the quality of auditing across Member States. The IFRS endorsement became effective on the 1st of January 2005 and it has brought with it a variety of implications. This dissc11ation with the aid of a series of interviews tries to determine how this endorsement has affected the European as well as the local scenario in particular. Following this analysis, the researcher then tries to extract from the IFRS experience issues that resulted into the creation of further debate and complexity, sometimes also at the expense of the main objective, i.e. enhancement of accounting quality through harmonisation. These issues comprise both technical aspects involving matters like the correct wording to use in relation to the framework as endorsed by the EU, and the implications of following full IFRSs vis-a-vis the audit report - as well as practical aspects like reporting for early adoption due to timing differences created by the endorsement process, differences that might emerge between the companies act 1995 and the endorsed framework, and the establishment of a Maltese version of the standards. These issues are then scrutinized in the light of the forthcoming ISA endorsement (due in 2008), to determine whether they may crop up again. Where this is possible, solutions are proposed. Given the IFRS experience, in addition to solutions this dissertation looks at how the forthcoming endorsement process is perceived locally by the Maltese profession (also in contrast with UK counterparts), so as to conclude what role the local profession should play in such an exercise.