ACCA welcomes Maltese Presidency of the Council of the European Union

On 1 January 2017, Malta, the smallest nation of the EU, took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU for the first time. ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) welcomes the start of the Maltese Presidency, which begins at a critical time for both the EU and the global economy,  as both grapple with the uncertainly that lies ahead.

Helen Brand, OBE, ACCA’s chief executive said: “the motto of the Maltese Presidency is “rEUnion”. As the EU continues to deal with the on-going migration crisis, Brexit and several key national elections during 2017,  unity must be at the heart of all Council priorities. To this end, ACCA fully supports the theme of unity that is being adopted by the Maltese Presidency”.  

During its presidency, Malta will focus on six priorities: Migration, Single Market, Security, Social Inclusion, Europe’s Neighbourhood and Maritime.

Regarding the Single Market axis, Helen Brand said: “we endorse a sharper focus in EU legislation on addressing the challenges faced by SMEs, including access to finance. ACCA’s membership comprises a great proportion of SMEs advisers and SMPs owners, and we will look forward to drawing on the expertise of our members to ensure that we are able to add value to the debates that the Council will lead over the coming months.”  

Similarly, regarding the Social Inclusion objective, ACCA supports improving the participation of women in the labour market and achieving greater gender parity in senior decision-making positions. “Urgent action is needed to address the prevalence of the status quo in many political and corporate cultures, which reinforce gender imbalance and maintain traditional gender stereotypes”,Helen Brand points out.   

“As a global accountancy body strongly involved in accountability, good governance and sustainability matters, we also welcome the Maltese Presidency’s planned work on the implementation of  the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, which encompasses the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, as well as governance, both within the EU and globally”, Helen Brand adds.

“ACCA has many members in Malta working in businesses of all sizes and across all sectors. From working with our members and partners in Malta, we know that much of the impressive economic growth within the country is driven by a desire to embrace change and utilise emerging technologies. With this appetite for pragmatism, I am confident that the Maltese presidency will rise to the challenge of addressing many of the pressing issues facing the EU at the current time” , Helen Brand concludes.

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For media enquiries, contact:

Cecile Bonino, tel: +32 (0) 2 286 11 37 or cecile.bonino@accaglobal.com

Notes to Editors

About ACCA

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants. It offers business-relevant, first-choice qualifications to people of application, ability and ambition around the world who seek a rewarding career in accountancy, finance and management.

ACCA supports its 188,000 members and 480,000 students in 181 countries, helping them to develop successful careers in accounting and business, with the skills required by employers. ACCA works through a network of 95 offices and centres and more than 7,110 Approved Employers worldwide, who provide high standards of employee learning and development. Through its public interest remit, ACCA promotes appropriate regulation of accounting and conducts relevant research to ensure accountancy continues to grow in reputation and influence.

Founded in 1904, ACCA has consistently held unique core values: opportunity, diversity, innovation, integrity and accountability. It believes that accountants bring value to economies in all stages of development and seek to develop capacity in the profession and encourage the adoption of global standards. ACCA’s core values are aligned to the needs of employers in all sectors and it ensures that through its range of qualifications, it prepares accountants for business. ACCA seeks to open up the profession to people of all backgrounds and remove artificial barriers, innovating its qualifications and delivery to meet the diverse needs of trainee professionals and their employers. More information is here: www.accaglobal.com