22/09/2023 – The Global Forum Secretariat organised a training seminar for French-speaking assessors on the standard of transparency and exchange of information on request (EOIR) and the related peer review process. The event, which was kindly hosted by Belgium’s Federal Public Service FINANCE, was held in Liège from 18 to 22 September 2023 and gathered 16 participants from 9 jurisdictions from Africa, Europe and Latin America.
Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes
Global Forum delivers training on transparency and exchange of information on request peer reviews
The seminar helped build awareness on all requirements of the EOIR standard, with a focus on the availability of the beneficial ownership information and of the practice of EOIR, two essential aspects of the standard. The trainers from the Global Forum Secretariat also explained how to plan for and participate in an EOIR peer review, as both a Global Forum expert assessor and as an assessed jurisdiction. Under their guidance, participants simulated the critical steps of the EOIR peer review process, such as the onsite visit and the drafting of recommendations, on both the legal framework and the practical implementation of the standard.
The peer review process is one of the core activities carried out by the Global Forum to promote the implementation of the transparency and exchange of information standards. The EOIR peer reviews were launched in 2010 and the Global Forum is currently conducting the second round of reviews with enhanced terms of reference. Overall, over 100 jurisdictions have been reviewed in the second round of EOIR peer reviews since 2016.
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The Global Forum is the leading multilateral body mandated to ensure that jurisdictions around the world adhere to and effectively implement both the EOIR standard and the standard of automatic exchange of financial account information. These objectives are achieved through a robust monitoring and peer review process. The Global Forum also runs an extensive technical assistance programme to support its members in implementing the standards and help tax authorities make the best use of cross-border information sharing channels.
Any questions about this training should be sent to gftaxcooperation@oecd.org.