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Towards the establishment of an internal market for audit services within the European Union

Author

Listed:
  • Steven Maijoor
  • Willem Buijink
  • Roger Meuwissen
  • Arjen Van Witteloostuijn

Abstract

The central issue in this paper is the creation of an internal market for audit services within the European Union (EU). It provides an analysis of the impact of differences between national auditing regulations on intra-EU trade in audit services. To that end, the paper distinguishes three forms of intra-Union crossborder trade in audit services: (1) cross-border establishment as an auditor; (2) cross-border provision of audit services; and (3) cross-border control of an audit firm. The paper also distinguishes four categories of regulation of auditing: (I) regulation of the qualification as an auditor; (II) regulation of competition between auditors or audit firms; (III) regulation of control of audit firms; and (IV) other regulations. For each of the three forms of intra-Union trade the paper indicates the importance of each of the four categories of regulation as trade barriers. For each of the three forms of trade the current level of intra-EU trade is then discussed. The paper shows that there is little such trade and argues that given the intra-EU auditor regulation differences, audit markets within the EU are still separate markets. This is of course remarkable against the background of the drive towards more market integration in the EU in general. The paper then uses insights from audit market research to suggest which forms of national audit market regulations in EU Member States should be removed to increase intra-EU trade in audit services. The paper identifies existing national regulations of the control of audit firms as the most important barrier. The paper argues that removing these (strict) regulations is the most promising route towards more intra-EU trade in audit services.

Suggested Citation

  • Steven Maijoor & Willem Buijink & Roger Meuwissen & Arjen Van Witteloostuijn, 1998. "Towards the establishment of an internal market for audit services within the European Union," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(4), pages 655-673.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:euract:v:7:y:1998:i:4:p:655-673
    DOI: 10.1080/096381898336240
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Baumol, William J, 1982. "Contestable Markets: An Uprising in the Theory of Industry Structure," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 72(1), pages 1-15, March.
    2. Peter Moizer, 1992. "State of the art in audit market research," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 1(2), pages 333-348.
    3. Benston, George J., 1985. "The market for public accounting services: Demand, supply and regulation," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 4(1), pages 33-79.
    4. DeAngelo, Linda Elizabeth, 1981. "Auditor size and audit quality," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(3), pages 183-199, December.
    5. Alain Mikol, 1993. "The evolution of auditing and the independent auditor in France," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(1), pages 1-16.
    6. van Witteloostuijn, Arjen & van Wegberg, Marc, 1992. "Multimarket competition : Theory and evidence," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 273-282, July.
    7. Merete Christiansen & Anne Loft, 1992. "Big players and small players," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 1(2), pages 277-301.
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    Cited by:

    1. Joseph Francois & Bernard Hoekman, 2010. "Services Trade and Policy," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 48(3), pages 642-692, September.
    2. C. Richard Baker & Alain Mikol & Reiner Quick, 2001. "Regulation of the statutory auditor in the European Union: a comparative survey of the United Kingdom, France and Germany," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 10(4), pages 763-786.
    3. Maria Antonia Garcia Benau & Emiliano Ruiz Barbadillo & Christopher Humphrey & Walid Al Husaini, 1999. "Success in failure? Reflections on the changing Spanish audit environment," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(4), pages 701-730.
    4. Samsonova-Taddei, Anna & Humphrey, Christopher, 2015. "Risk and the construction of a European audit policy agenda: The case of auditor liability," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 55-72.

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