Reporting Entity in the Consolidated Financial Statements: Theory and Case Study

Eurostat and EPSAS Expert Working Group are engaged to outline the suitability of International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) in the process of the public sector accounting harmonisation. Part of the process is referred to the scope of the consolidated financial statements and the possible criteria to identify the public sector group’s reporting entity, that is the boundaries of the group. This last point is of relevance as recalled by the recent EPSAS Conceptual Framework Reflection Paper, under which public sector reporting entities should provide financial report based on decision-making and accountability considerations. The chapter aims to contribute to the debate on consolidated financial statements both from the theoretical and empirical points of view.