Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, friends and colleagues, good afternoon. Before I begin I would just like to say what a pleasure it is for me to be asked by FEE and AMA (Mediterranean Association of Auditors) to present the activities and views of the IFAC Small and Medium Practices (SMP) Committee today. For the benefit of those not familiar with the SMP Committee a few words of introduction.
The SMP Committee started life as a Working Group of the IFAC Board in 2000. Under the chairmanship of my countryman Angelo Casas it quickly progressed to being a task force, then a permanent task force, and, in January of this year, a full standing committee of IFAC. On its promotion to being a committee, Sylvie Voghel took over the reins. Our vital statistics read as follows: 18 members from 17 countries, 6 from the EU; a full time technical manager; an annual forum; and an ambitious and expanding work program centered on inputting to standard-setting - accounting, education, ethics, but most especially audit - and providing practical support to SMPs.