The Eurostat OECD Accruals Symposium in March 2017 focused on the update of the EPSAS framework, aimed at enhancing fiscal transparency in the public sector through the promotion of accrual accounting. The initiative seeks to develop common public sector accounting standards by increasing fiscal transparency in the short term and comparability in the longer term, with phased implementation planned by 2025. Key activities in 2016 included supporting member states in modernizing their public accounting systems and drafting governance and standards proposals for EPSAS.

1. eurostat
OECD accruals symposium spring 2017
Paris, 2 and 3 March 2017
EPSAS update
Alexandre Makaronidis
Head of Task Force EPSAS, European Commission - Eurostat

2. eurostat
Context
General Purpose Financial Statements should provide a true and fair
view of the financial position and performance of reporting entities for
accountability and decision making purposes, whether they are private
or public sector.
But, no common financial accounting standards for the public sector -
contrast to the private sector.
No common underlying set of public sector accounting standards - risks
for the transparency and comparability of entity-level financial accounting
data.
2

3. eurostat
EPSAS way forward
A more voluntary and progressive approach:
• Increased fiscal transparency in the short to medium term
• Comparability in the medium to the longer term
Phase 1: Increasing fiscal transparency in the Member States in the
short to medium term by promoting accruals accounting, e.g. IPSAS,
in the period from 2016 to 2020, and in parallel developing the
EPSAS framework (i.e. EPSAS governance, accounting principles
and standards).
Phase 2: Addressing comparability within and between the Member
States in the medium to longer term, implementing EPSAS by 2025.
3

4. eurostat
Increasing fiscal transparency first, comparability later
4

5. eurostat
Activities in 2016
• Encouraging and supporting the modernisation of public
accounting systems on accruals basis in the Member States
• Drafting the concrete proposal on the EPSAS framework
(governance, principles, standards)
• EPSAS issues papers
• Communication with stakeholders
5

6. eurostat
Activities in 2016
Support of voluntary accruals implementation included:
• Draft final report Cell FTI guidance
• 5 grants agreed with MS were finalised: Hungary, AT-Burgenland,
Cyprus, Malta, DE-Hesse
• 2 others are ongoing: AT-Salzburg, Portugal
6

7. eurostat
MS which have
modernised
MS which are
considering
modernising
MS which are
modernising
MS which do
not want
change
7

8. eurostat
EPSAS Working Group
The first EU network of public sector accounting standard-setters at the
core of EPSAS development and implementation consisting of
representatives from all Member States and invited observers.
Discussion points in the WGs:
• Reports from the EPSAS Cells
• Progress reports from EPSAS grant beneficiaries
• Updates on stakeholders activities
• Discussion of EPSAS issues papers
• Reviewing current developments in the MS
8

9. eurostat
Cell on First Time Implementation
The Cell met five times and presented the revised draft final report to
the WG in Rome
• The guidance aims to support improvements to fiscal transparency
while preparing the ground for implementing EPSAS at a later
point in time
• First draft of FTI guidance is foreseen to be issued in spring 2017
• The guidance is expected to be updated periodically as deemed
necessary
9

10. eurostat
The Cell presented the draft final report to the WG meeting in Rome. It
identified and defined the meaning of following governance principles:
• Professional independence and integrity
• Legitimacy
• Transparency and openness of procedures
• Competence and capacity
• Efficiency and effectiveness
• Accountability
10
Cell on Principles underlying EPSAS Governance

11. eurostat
Cell on Principles related to EPSAS standards
The Cell presented an interim report to the WG meeting in Rome. The Cell
• outlined possible structure for an EPSAS approach to principles
consisting of:
• High level objectives and high level general principles, in line with the scope
of the work of the Cell on Governance principles;
• Qualitative characteristics (QCs) and constraints;
• Application principles.
• tabled for discussion a first outline of CF/principles definitions
Common meeting with the Cell on governance principles planned for March.
11

12. eurostat
EPSAS issues papers
Eurostat commissioned 10 issues papers on key public sector
accounting topics under the 2016 contract with EY:
 Small and less risky entities  Social benefits
 Options in IPSAS  Infrastructure assets
 Taxes  Segment reporting
 Heritage  Military assets
 Employee benefits (pensions)  Social contributions
12

13. eurostat
Communication with stakeholders in 2016
Follow-up seminar for the Sub-Committee on Statistics of the
Economic and Financial Committee (EFC-SCS)
European Parliament
• Meeting of the EP Committee on Budgetary Control (CONT)
in Brussels in February
• Opinion of EP CONT for the Committee on Economic and
Monetary Affairs (ECON) in April
• European Parliament resolution in June
13

14. eurostat
Next steps for 2017 -- building on 2016 work
TF.EPSAS and the EPSAS WG will:
• Continue supporting the modernisation of public accounting
systems on an accruals basis in the Member States;
• Continue developing the elements of the EPSAS framework and
the preparations for future EPSAS standards;
• Commission a further set of EPSAS issues papers;
• Collect more information for impact considerations;
• Continue communicating with stakeholders;
Eurostat will host in Luxembourg IPSASB in June 2017.
14

15. eurostat
Next steps for 2017 -- contract with PwC
Task 1 – Drafting of 10 papers on specific accounting issues
Task 2 – Collection of additional and updated information related to
the potential impacts of implementing accruals accounting in the
public sector:
• lessons learnt from experiences of accruals implementation;
• capacity issues in the Member States;
• how could EPSAS support financial audit and control in the MS
• methodology for measurement and monitoring of the transparency
of public sector financial reporting in MS.
15

16. eurostat
European Commission (Eurostat) Task Force EPSAS:
http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/government-finance-
statistics/government-accounting
16