 Since
the last issue of WorldwideLink was published, we have
held the World Congress in Beijing, China and what a huge
success it was!
Not
only was it a wonderful place to have a meeting, but
it gave us all a chance to renew old friendships
and make
some new ones. I know that a lot of people got to know
each other very well indeed on the Pre-Congress tour
and I know that these close relationships
will be the backbone
for AGN to increase its cross border work. I can only
look forward to Montreal in September 2006!
Our
German-speaking colleagues held a very successful meeting
in Lugano from 13 15 October,
which was hosted by our member firm there, Fiduciaria
Mega. Representatives from Germany,
Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, France and UK attended and there were
approximately 30
people altogether. This is an annual event and it is
becoming more and more popular.
 For
the first time on 14 October, our French-speaking colleagues
held a meeting in Paris hosted by our
member firm there,
Caderas Martin. There were about
15 people there from Switzerland, Belgium and France for
this one-day event
and I'm
sure this will become a regular addition to the European
calendar.
You
will know that during the early part of 2005, the Global
Quality Assurance Committee finalised
the new
guidelines
for Peer Review.
The
new documents were released on 1 July and we in the
European Region are already using it for
our peer
review
work. I know that the European Quality
Assurance Committee is meeting on 12 December
in Rotterdam and I'm sure
that we will have some positive feedback not
only on the documentation but also on the quality
of our member firms.
We
have been quite busy on the membership front in Europe
with new members recently being appointed
in Denmark,
the Isle of Man and Poland. In addition, we
have had applications
for membership from firms in Bulgaria,
Germany and Russia and the pre-admission review process
is being completed
for these firms.
Those
of you who came to Beijing will know that reference
was made to an Exposure Draft
on independence
issues
that has been issued by IFAC, which includes
a definition of
a "Network Firm".
Nick
Blake and I attended a presentation at the UK
Institute of Chartered Accountants on
this
Exposure Draft and your
International Board was able to discuss
it in Beijing. This discussion culminated in
a paper
produced
by
Nick at the International Executive office
in London, which
has been disseminated to all member firms.
The
Exposure Draft has left us with no choice but to dispense
with the words "Accountants Global Network".
Even though we are not expecting the
final document to be issued until the Spring of 2006,
my own firm has got
to consider dispensing with the letters
"AGN" as
this may fall foul of the new rules on
Network Firms and Independence. This
will be, in my opinion, a very great
shame.
Why
did we at AGN Shipleys want to brand ourselves with
the letters "AGN"?
Because, we saw it as a positive step
in showing our commitment to AGN not
only
for our members
but also
for our clients.
It seems ridiculous to me that we may
be forced down a different path by
the regulators.
Time
will tell!
Finally,
may I take this opportunity to wish all of you and
your families
the very
best
for the
Christmas season
and a very happy and prosperous 2006.
John
McCuin
Chairman
AGN International-Europe Ltd
AGN Shipleys
London
mccuinj@agnshipleys.com
www.agn-europe.org
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