see also...
Report on ACCA's activities on mainland Europe
July 2006 to June 2007
This report reviews ACCA's activities on mainland Europe over the past year. Outside the UK and Ireland, much of ACCA's activity in this part of Europe, and in particular, in Brussels , is focused on leveraging its thought leadership and contributing to EU policy developments. ACCA is engaged in lobbying with the EU institutions, diplomatic missions, financial regulators, national parliamentarians and industry representative bodies.
ACCA seeks to influence the EU policy agenda in the fields of private company financial reporting, small business affairs, financing of health services, CSR, corporate governance, tax, sustainability reporting, financial services and the future direction of EU accounting and auditing legislation.
ACCA is actively involved in the following EU organs:
- Fédération des Experts Comptables Européens (FEE)
- EC-initiated FIN-USE expert group
- Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
- European Association for Craft & Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (UEAPME)
- Conference Board Europe (CBE)
- European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG)
- MEP-led The Kangaroo Group
- The Pan-European Genesis Initiative (PEGI)
- Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) Taskforce on capital markets
Small Business Programme
- ACCA continues to contribute to EU SME policy debates through its membership of UEAPME ( Union Européenne de l'Artisanat et des Petites et Moyennes Entreprises or the European Association of Craft, Small & Medium-sized Enterprises), the leading EU small employers' organisation. Through 70 national, sectoral federations, UEAPME represents over 10 million enterprises employing over 50 million people. In 2004-2005, ACCA actively participated in the UEAPME-led debates on access to finance for SME's, succession planning, the reform of the 4th and 7th directives ACCA continues to chair the UEAPME Tax Committee.
- ACCA's Head of Small Business, professor Robin Jarvis, was re-elected as the Chairman of FIN-USE, the forum of financial service experts created by the EC to provide input to the EU Legislator from a user and SME-owner perspective on the practical application of the EU Financial Services Action Plan.
Links with the European Parliament
- ACCA's membership of the MEP-led Kangaroo Group in the European Parliament provided timely opportunities over 2006-2007 to contribute to key debates on various Pan-EU topics of interest to ACCA.
Healthcare Finance Matters
- In December, ACCA's Council member, Dean Wescot, opened a luncheon debate at the European Parliament on the outcome of the an ACCA study into the costs/benefits of ICT investments in eHealth projects in Italy and contributed to the debate on improving healthcare delivery in the European Union and the role of healthcare institutions and ministries.
ACCA Presidential visit to Brussels
- Richard Aitkin-Davies, ACCA Vice President, visited Brussels over 27 and 28 March 2007 and met officials from the EU institutions. The visit aimed to facilitate an enhanced understanding of some of the substantive and diverse issues on the EU agenda that impact on ACCA policy development, both in Europe and in other regions.
ACCA SME conference
- On 27 March, ACCA Vice President opened a joint ACCA/SME-UNION conference in Brussels on the theme of Challenges Facing SMEs in the New Member States, with the support of the EPP MEP group, which was devoted to exploring measure to boost SME sustainability and growth in the CEEC.
US-EU financial regulatory debate
- Deputy President Richard Aitken-Davies, hosted a SEC/EU financial regulator dinner in Paris on 29 May last, which featured US SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins as the guest speaker, and was attended by representatives from the EU financial services constituency and the EU regulatory agencies AMF and CESR.
ACCA EU Parliamentary debate
- The Deputy President hosted and spoke at a dinner-debate on shareholders rights in Europe at the European Parliament, chaired by Malcolm Harbour MEP, and featuring Peter Montagnon, Director of Investment Affairs with the Association of British Insurers (ABI).
Other activities
- ACCA submitted its policy position paper to the European Commission on the EU proposed Simplification Process (aimed at reducing administrative burdens on 91% SMEs in Europe by exempting them from the EU accounting and audit requirements).
- The Head of EU Parliamentary Affairs addressed
- ACCA members on Recent EU legislative developments affecting small businesses, in Bucharest (Romania), on 17 May.
- The City of London Corporation EU working group on EU-US financial regulatory convergence, in London, on 15 June.
- ACCA members and guests from the London financial centre on EU Financial Services Directives - an Update, in London on 28 June.