Effects of European Union Accession: Part I Budgeting and Financial Control

Compliance with the European Union’s budgetary, financial control and audit requirements is one of the basic obligations of EU membership. SIGMA examines this in two publications that chronicle the experiences of seven EU Member States, including its three newest adherents, in integrating EU budgetary, financial control and audit procedures and requirements with national ones. The publications also describe central regulations and procedures used by the European Commission and the European Court of Audit. The present publication complements SIGMA Paper No. 20 Effects of European Union Accession—Part 2, External Audit, on the impact of accession on external audit. The purpose of these publications is to assist central and eastern European countries that have applied for membership of the European Union in discerning the ideas at stake, to give comparative information on the various approaches and solutions used by Member States and to sum up the experiences gained and lessons learned. The approach is to provide an overview of the topic and analyse key issues for reflection and debate. The focus is on practical experiences gained and conclusions drawn by those who have been involved in the daily work of adaptation and development of the government administration in the seven countries. The two publications also provide insight into the implementation policies adopted and an overview of the regulations and procedures used. Appendices include lists of abbreviations and useful terms and a selection of EU