Brussels, 24/07/2002 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, the European Commission published a Communication by Michaele Schreyer on modernising its accounting system, a sensitive issue left hanging since Marta Andreasen, the former Internal Accountant and Director of Budget Execution changed job (she has just been replaced by Belgian official Marc Oostens, Head of Unit at DG Employment - see Europe of 5 June and 27/28 May).
In the Communication, the Commission announced that she would take a decision by the end of 2002 on the options for development, the proposed calendar for implementation and the projected costs. Schreyer explained that "the Commission's accounting framework is based on cash accounting and is moving, in common with public administrations in some Member States, towards more commercial style (accrual) accounting practices required by the new Financial Regulation to be put in place for the year 2005." The Budget Commissioner also stated that the objective of the current work would be "to examine how to implement the international accounting standards for the public sector in the Commission environment and to a parallel development in the computerised accounting system to support the production of reliable and complete accounts" not only for the cash accounts but also for the general accounts. In parallel with this accounting change, another Commission aim is to greatly improve the operating of the current IT system SINCOM2 in 2002 and 2003.