Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 July 2002 on the application of international accounting standards
Date: 2002-07-19
Institutions: Council of the European Union, European Parliament
Subjects: accounting, international standard, single market, standardised accounting system

11.9.2002

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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I

(Acts whose publication is obligatory)

REGULATION (EC) No 1606/2002 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL

of 19 July 2002

on the application of international accounting standards

THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL OF THE
EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Commu-
nity, and in particular Article 95(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),

Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee (2),

Acting in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article
251 of the Treaty (3),

Whereas:

(1)

(2)

The Lisbon European Council of 23 and 24 March 2000
emphasised the need to accelerate completion of the
internal market for financial services, set the deadline of
2005 to implement the Commission's Financial Services
Action Plan and urged that steps be taken to enhance
the comparability of financial statements prepared by
publicly traded companies.

statements. Furthermore,

In order to contribute to a better functioning of the
internal market, publicly traded companies must be
required to apply a single set of high quality interna-
tional accounting standards for the preparation of their
consolidated financial
is
important that the financial reporting standards applied
by Community companies participating in financial
markets are accepted internationally and are truly global
standards. This implies an increasing convergence of
accounting standards currently used internationally with
the ultimate objective of achieving a single set of global
accounting standards.

it

Council Directive 83/349/EEC of 13 June 1983 on
consolidated accounts (5), Council Directive 86/635/EEC
of 8 December 1986 on the annual accounts and conso-
institu-
lidated accounts of banks and other financial
tions (6) and Council Directive 91/674/EEC of 19
December 1991 on the annual accounts and consoli-
insurance companies (7) are also
dated accounts of
addressed to publicly traded Community companies. The
reporting requirements set out in these Directives cannot
ensure the high level of transparency and comparability
of financial reporting from all publicly traded Commu-
nity companies which is a necessary condition for
building an integrated capital market which operates
effectively, smoothly and efficiently. It is therefore neces-
sary to supplement the legal framework applicable to
publicly traded companies.

(4)

(5)

This Regulation aims at contributing to the efficient and
cost-effective functioning of
the capital market. The
protection of investors and the maintenance of confi-
dence in the financial markets is also an important
aspect of the completion of the internal market in this
area. This Regulation reinforces the freedom of move-
ment of capital
in the internal market and helps to
enable Community companies to compete on an equal
footing for financial resources available in the Commu-
nity capital markets, as well as in world capital markets.

It is important for the competitiveness of Community
capital markets to achieve convergence of the standards
used in Europe for preparing financial statements, with
international accounting standards that can be used glob-
ally, for cross-border transactions or listing anywhere in
the world.

(3)

Council Directive 78/660/EEC of 25 July 1978 on the
annual accounts of certain types of companies (4),

(6)

(1) OJ C 154 E, 29.5.2001, p. 285.
(2) OJ C 260, 17.9.2001, p. 86.
(3) Opinion of the European Parliament of 12 March 2002 (not yet
published in the Official Journal) and Decision of the Council of 7
June 2002.

(4) OJ L 222, 14.8.1978, p. 11. Directive as last amended by European
and Council Directive 2001/65/EC (OJ L 283,

Parliament
27.10.2001, p. 28).

On 13 June 2000,
the Commission published its
Communication on ‘EU Financial Reporting Strategy: the
way forward’ in which it was proposed that all publicly
traded Community companies prepare their consolidated

(5) OJ L 193, 18.7.1983, p. 1. Directive as last amended by European

Parliament and Council Directive 2001/65/EC.

(6) OJ L 372, 31.12.1986, p. 1. Directive as last amended by European

Parliament and Council Directive 2001/65/EC.

(7) OJ L 374, 31.12.1991, p. 7.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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financial statements in accordance with one single set of
accounting standards, namely International Accounting
Standards (IAS), at the latest by 2005.

accounts. The mechanism should be a means to foster
common
international
adopted
of
accounting standards in the Community.

understanding

(7)

(8)

(9)

renamed the

International Accounting Standards (IASs) are developed
by the International Accounting Standards Committee
(IASC), whose purpose is to develop a single set of global
accounting standards. Further to the restructuring of the
IASC, the new Board on 1 April 2001, as one of its first
decisions,
International
Accounting Standards Board (IASB) and, as far as future
international
concerned,
renamed IAS as International Financial Reporting Stan-
dards (IFRS). These standards should, wherever possible
and provided that they ensure a high degree of transpar-
ency and comparability for financial reporting in the
Community, be made obligatory for use by all publicly
traded Community companies.

accounting

standards

IASC as

the

are

The measures necessary for the implementation of this
Regulation should be adopted in accordance with
Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying
down the procedures for the exercise of implementing
powers conferred on the Commission (1) and with due
regard to the declaration made by the Commission in
the European Parliament on 5 February 2002 concerning
the implementation of financial services legislation.

To adopt an international accounting standard for appli-
cation in the Community, it is necessary firstly that it
meets the basic requirement of
the aforementioned
that is to say that its application
Council Directives,
results in a true and fair view of the financial position
and performance of an enterprise — this principle being
considered in the light of the said Council Directives
without implying a strict conformity with each and every
in accor-
provision of those Directives; secondly that,
dance with the conclusions of the Council of 17 July
2000, it is conducive to the European public good and
lastly that it meets basic criteria as to the quality of infor-
mation required for financial statements to be useful to
users.

(10) An accounting technical committee should provide
support and expertise to the Commission in the assess-
ment of international accounting standards.

(12)

(13)

(14)

(15)

In accordance with the principle of proportionality, the
measures provided for in this Regulation,
in requiring
that a single set of international accounting standards be
applied to publicly traded companies, are necessary to
achieve the objective of contributing to the efficient and
cost-effective functioning of Community capital markets
and thereby to the completion of the internal market.

them in

conformity with

In accordance with the same principle, it is necessary, as
regards annual accounts, to leave to Member States the
option to permit or require publicly traded companies to
prepare
international
accounting standards adopted in accordance with the
procedure laid down in this Regulation. Member States
may decide as well to extend this permission or this
requirement to other companies as regards the prepara-
tion of their consolidated accounts and/or their annual
accounts.

to coordinate

their positions,

In order to facilitate an exchange of views and to allow
Member States
the
Commission should periodically inform the accounting
regulatory committee about active projects, discussion
papers, point outlines and exposure drafts issued by the
IASB and about the consequential technical work of the
accounting technical committee. It is also important that
the accounting regulatory committee is informed at an
early stage if the Commission intends not to propose to
adopt an international accounting standard.

In its deliberations on and in elaborating positions to be
taken on documents and papers issued by the IASB in
the process of developing international accounting stan-
dards (IFRS and SIC-IFRIC), the Commission should take
into account the importance of avoiding competitive
disadvantages for European companies operating in the
global marketplace, and,
to the maximum possible
extent, the views expressed by the delegations in the
Accounting Regulatory Committee. The Commission will
be represented in constituent bodies of the IASB.

(11)

The endorsement mechanism should act expeditiously
on proposed international accounting standards and also
be a means to deliberate, reflect and exchange informa-
tion on international accounting standards among the
main parties concerned, in particular national accounting
standard setters, supervisors in the fields of securities,
banking and insurance, central banks including the ECB,
the accounting profession and users and preparers of

(1) OJ L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23.

(16) A proper and rigorous enforcement regime is key to
underpinning investors' confidence in financial markets.
Member States, by virtue of Article 10 of the Treaty, are
required to take appropriate measures to ensure compli-
accounting standards. The
ance with international
Commission intends
to liaise with Member States,
notably through the Committee of European Securities
Regulators (CESR), to develop a common approach to
enforcement.

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Further, it is necessary to allow Member States to defer
the application of certain provisions until 2007 for those
companies publicly traded both in the Community and
on a regulated third-country market which are already
applying another set of internationally accepted stan-
their consolidated
dards as
accounts as well as for companies which have only
publicly traded debt securities. It is nonetheless crucial
that by 2007 at the latest a single set of global interna-
the IAS, apply to all
tional accounting standards,
Community companies publicly traded on a Community
regulated market.

the primary basis

for

83/349/EEC and are conducive to the European public good
and,

— they meet the criteria of understandability, relevance, relia-
bility and comparability required of the financial informa-
tion needed for making economic decisions and assessing
the stewardship of management.

3.
At the latest by 31 December 2002, the Commission
shall, in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article
6(2), decide on the applicability within the Community of the
international accounting standards in existence upon entry into
force of this Regulation.

(17)

(18)

In order to allow Member States and companies to carry
out the necessary adaptations to make the application of
international accounting standards possible, it is neces-
sary to apply certain provisions only in 2005. Appro-
priate provisions should be put in place for the first-time
application of IAS by companies as a result of the entry
into force of the present regulation. Such provisions
in order to
should be drawn up at international
ensure
solutions
adopted,

recognition of

international

level

the

HAVE ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Aim

This Regulation has as its objective the adoption and use of
international accounting standards in the Community with a
view to harmonising the financial information presented by the
companies referred to in Article 4 in order to ensure a high
degree of transparency and comparability of financial state-
ments and hence an efficient functioning of the Community
capital market and of the Internal Market.

Article 2

Definitions

For the purpose of this Regulation,
‘international accounting
standards’ shall mean International Accounting Standards (IAS),
International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and related
Interpretations (SIC-IFRIC interpretations), subsequent amend-
ments to those standards and related interpretations,
future
standards and related interpretations issued or adopted by the
International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).

Article 3

Adoption and use of international accounting standards

1.
In accordance with the procedure laid down in Article
6(2), the Commission shall decide on the applicability within
the Community of international accounting standards.

The international accounting standards can only be

2.
adopted if:

— they are not contrary to the principle set out in Article 2(3)
of Directive 78/660/EEC and in Article 16(3) of Directive

Adopted international accounting standards

shall be
4.
published in full
the
Community, as a Commission Regulation, in the Official Journal
of the European Communities.

languages of

in each of

the official

Article 4

Consolidated accounts of publicly traded companies

For each financial year starting on or after 1 January 2005,
companies governed by the law of a Member State shall prepare
their consolidated accounts in conformity with the international
accounting standards adopted in accordance with the procedure
laid down in Article 6(2) if, at their balance sheet date, their
securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market of any
Member State within the meaning of Article 1(13) of Council
Directive 93/22/EEC of 10 May 1993 on investment services in
the securities field (1).

Article 5

Options in respect of annual accounts and of non publicly-
traded companies

Member States may permit or require:

(a) the companies referred to in Article 4 to prepare their

annual accounts,

(b) companies other than those referred to in Article 4 to
prepare their consolidated accounts and/or their annual
accounts,

in conformity with the international accounting standards
adopted in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article
6(2).

Article 6

Committee procedure

The Commission shall be assisted by an accounting regu-

1.
latory committee hereinafter referred to as ‘the Committee’.

2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Articles 5 and
7 of Decision 1999/468/EC shall apply, having regard to the
provisions of Article 8 thereof.

(1) OJ L 141, 11.6.1993, p. 27. Directive as last amended by European
and Council Directive 2000/64/EC (OJ L 290,

Parliament
17.11.2000, p. 27).

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The period laid down in Article 5(6) of Decision 1999/468/EC
shall be set at three months.

each financial year starting on or after January 2007 to those
companies:

3.

The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.

Article 7

Reporting and coordination

1.
The Commission shall liaise on a regular basis with the
Committee about the status of active IASB projects and any
related documents issued by the IASB in order to coordinate
positions and to facilitate discussions concerning the adoption
of standards that might result from these projects and docu-
ments.

2.
The Commission shall duly report to the Committee in a
timely manner if it intends not to propose the adoption of a
standard.

(a) whose debt securities only are admitted on a regulated
market of any Member State within the meaning of Article
1(13) of Directive 93/22/EEC; or

(b) whose securities are admitted to public trading in a non-
member State and which, for that purpose, have been using
internationally accepted standards since a financial year that
started prior to the publication of this Regulation in the
Official Journal of the European Communities.

Article 10

Information and review

Article 8

Notification

The Commission shall review the operation of this Regulation
and report thereon to the European Parliament and to the
Council by 1 July 2007 at the latest.

Where Member States take measures by virtue of Article 5, they
shall immediately communicate these to the Commission and
to other Member States.

Article 9

Transitional provisions

By way of derogation from Article 4, Member States may
provide that the requirements of Article 4 shall only apply for

Article 11

Entry into force

This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following
that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European
Communities.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 19 July 2002.

For the European Parliament

The President

P. COX

For the Council

The President

T. PEDERSEN