CESR report on 'equivalence' of CA, JP, US GAAPs

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14 Mar 2007

The Committee of European Securities Regulators (CESR) has published a report that responds to a request from the European Commission for information about three matters: CA, JP, US work plans. The work plans and timetables of the Canadian, Japanese, and US accounting standard setters toward convergence with IFRSs.

 
  • CA, JP, US work plans. The work plans and timetables of the Canadian, Japanese, and US accounting standard setters toward convergence with IFRSs. CESR did not evaluate the progress toward convergence but, rather, collected information "available from public sources".
  • Equivalence definition. A recommended definition of equivalence. CESR concludes that "he criteria for deciding equivalence should be that investors should be able to make a similar decision irrespective of whether they are provided with financial statements based on IFRSs or on third country [non-EU] GAAP". However, CESR notes that the definition is only one part of the framework for assessing equivalence. Equivalence also requires reliable (a) "filters at country levels for ensuring market confidence", (b) audit assurance, and (c) enforcement to ensure that the non-EU GAAPs are applied and complied with properly.
  • Use of 'third country' GAAPs. A summary of which third country (non-EU) GAAPs are currently used in the EU regulated markets. CESR found that at least 33 different non-EU national GAAPs are used on EU regulated exchanges. Click for Table Derived from CESR Report (PDF 17k). CESR also identified around 130 non-EU issuers using Member States' GAAPs, such as UK GAAP. CESR did not find any legal requirements in EU Member States to reconcile non-EU GAAPs with IFRSs.
Click to Download Entire Report (PDF 866k), which is titled CESR's advice to the European Commission on the work programmes of the Canadian, Japanese and US standard setters, the definition of equivalence and the list of third country GAAPs currently used on the EU capital markets.

 
 

 

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