May 24, 2005 - John Hegarty, Chairman of the Private Sector Committee of the Financial Management Sector Board and Manager of Financial Management for Europe and Central Asia Region introduced the first module of the Advanced Program in Accounting and Auditing Regulation together with its Task Team Leaders, Mr. Frederic Gielen and Mr. David Nagy. Â  | Â Mr. John Hegarty, Sector Manager (middle), Financial Management, ECAÂ Region,Task Team Leaders Mr. Frederic Gielen (left) and Mr. David Nagy (right) during the first Module of the Advanced Program in
Accounting and Auditing Regulation. |
The Program covers countries/entities from South Central and South Eastern Europe along with other interested stakeholders from Moldova, Turkey and the Ukraine. The first six sessions have been scheduled for May 24, 31 and June 7, 14, 21, 28 of 2005. The Program will consist of 28 modules extending into 2006. The Advanced Program is designed to give senior civil servants, financial sector regulators and accounting and auditing bodies from participating countries/entities an opportunity to interact with a panel of leading international experts.   The panel of presenters includes leading international experts from the European Commission (DG Internal Market, DG Enlargement), World Bank, International Federation of Accountants, International Accounting Standards Board, European Federation of Accountants, Basel Committee on Banking supervision, European Federation of Investment Funds and Companies, UNCTAD and high level policy-makers from the New EU-8 Member States, among others. Two high-level officials from the European Commission, Mr. Reinhard Priebe, Director Western Balkans, DG Enlargement, European Commission and Mr. Jeroen Hooijer, Head of Unit for International Affairs, DG Internal Market, European Commission, delivered presentations in the first module. Mr. Priebe explained the acquis communautaire, negotiations and ratification process and other relevant topics related to EU integration. After the first presentation and question-and-answer session, Mr. Hooijer focused his presentation on EU company law, especially as it pertains to corporate sector accounting and auditing. This training event builds on the training program in Private Sector Accounting & Auditing, which was delivered to eight New EU Member States (EU-8) before their accession to the European Union on May 1, 2004. The Task Team leaders were eager to enhance the program further and tailor it to better suit the needs of candidate countries and other interested stakeholders. These modules are broadcasted live, with simultaneous interpretation in eight languages, reaching an audience of 400-500 participants for each module. There has been significant enthusiasm for this event, which has been made evident by the attendance of several high-level government officials participating in 14 different locations of the ECA Region during the first module of the Advanced Program. The videoconferencing sessions are videotaped and will soon be available on this link: http://vle.worldbank.org/gdln/reparis.htm . The Advanced Program in Accounting and Auditing Regulation is an integral part of The Road to Europe – Program of Accounting Reform and Institutional Strengthening (REPARIS). REPARIS is a proposed regional program aimed at creating a transparent policy environment and effective institutional framework for corporate reporting within participating countries/entities of South Central and South East Europe. The Region comprises Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo (UNSCR1244), Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania and Serbia and Montenegro. Moldova, Turkey and the Ukraine are also participating in the regional activities. The REPARIS program is designed to introduce, implement and effectively enforce relevant portions of the EU’s acquis communautaire. The program’s intended focus is the strengthening of institutionalized incentives based on the aquis that lead to the rigorous application of high-quality corporate financial reporting standards in the corporate (financial and non-financial) sector. The key interventions under the program include strategic input on (a) drafting and phasing-in of legal and regulatory instruments to comply with the acquis; (b) institutional design and operating procedures; and (c) design of ongoing education and training programs, both academic and professional. In addition, the program will include twinning arrangements with leading foreign institutions, as well as the establishment and start-up support of a network of regulators, standard setters, and officials from participating countries.  |
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