IFRS in Europe – An Observer's Perspective of the Next 10 Years

What follows is a personal reflection on the challenges that may face the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation in the next 10 years, and is based on two conference presentations and the debate at those conferences. The suggestion is that the character of the members of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) in its second decade is different from that of the founding board, and is more pragmatic than crusading. It is mooted that the board will need to address second-order issues of the organisation and policy, and that Europe will try to take a more influential role. The article observes that existing issues of funding, complexity and differential reporting may become more urgent and will need to be addressed for the organisation to continue to evolve.