This study analyses the financial reporting problems of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) located in two European countries – Croatia and Italy, reflecting different institutional and economic environments of a transitional economy and developed economy in stagnation. The survey explores the peculiarities of SMEs accounting from the cost/benefit aspect of accounting information, pointing out their specific needs comparing to the large entities. The SMEs accounting problems are analysed in the light of environmental factors, internationalisation process and under the pressure of accounting harmonisation goals. Thus, our contribution is a survey, by theoretical and empirical point of view, on International Accounting Standard (IAS/IFRS) applicability to SMEs, which is one of the most important topics of the current international debate among accounting scholars and professionals