CONTEMPORARY TRAINING IN FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING - SYNTHESIS BETWEEN TRADITIONAL METHODS AND NEW DIGITAL INSTRUMENTS

The practice has proved that financial accounting is the language of business and the main reporting and information system designed to record and perform current processing of reporting data on business and financial transactions, and periodically present information about the property and financial condition of the enterprise. In the digital economy, the business is constantly changing, the number of electronic administrative and public services is increasing, new types of transactions and new ways of payment between counterparties from EU member states and beyond appear, new means of payment (virtual money), lifelong learning, etc. New objects of accounting are changing and / or appearing, which in parallel with the dynamic parameters of the business naturally require a change in the methods and organization of training in financial accounting, timely updates of the curriculum and syllabus and others. The training in the discipline "Financial Accounting" in the universities of the European Education Area is key for students in the professional fields of "Economics" and "Administration and Management". It helps to build the basis for their further professional development, dictated by the following circumstances: accounting competence is a prerequisite for effective and efficient performance of professional duties; knowledge of financial accounting is a solid information base for making economic decisions; future professionals are taught that their actions must be based on relevant, essential, reliable and comparable data, which is best provided by financial accounting; future professionals are motivated to value accounting information as one of the most important resources, along with finance, investment and innovation; and future specialists are educated for the rational use of accounting information as a prerequisite and criterion for improving the work. It is a fact that in the last 1-2 years there have been some difficulties with the wide access of students to universal learning resources in view of the pandemic of COVID-19. The present study aims to analyze the digitalization of financial accounting education in universities as a process based on meaningful learning activities that take place in an interactive environment and to reveal the extent of this digitalization at the moment and in the near future. The analysis is based on a static study - the sample was formed on the basis of the universities presented in the QS World University Rankings for 2021, Europe region, subject Accounting and Finance, Bachelor's degree. Statistical tools and analysis are attached. The results of the research are expressed in the description and analysis of the organization of the educational process in financial accounting in the best selected universities, the development of classification of teaching methods of traditional and innovative, disclosure of good practices in applying new digital tools. A dynamic aspect of the research was also performed. The sample was formed by universities in Europe with a Department of Economics, which study the discipline of "Financial Accounting" by the method of random non-recurrent selection, respectively, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Italy, Poland, Croatia, Lithuania, Slovakia. The methodology of structured interview was used. The results of the research are expressed in establishing the trend for digitalization of financial accounting education in universities, tracking the change in the ratio of traditional methods to innovative methods in the course of the educational process in recent years. The study focuses on determining internal factors for the success of this process, such as the presence of strong leadership, defined strategic goals of digitalization, creating new working models and finding effective digital tools. In conclusion, the application of digital technologies in the process of training in financial accounting in the Bachelor's degree is important for ensuring accessibility, timeliness and management of educational resources as a basis for quality education. It is planned to provide universal electronic access to the implemented platform for educational services and content for the users in the educational process. The study reveals the importance of organizing the training process in financial accounting based on reasonable (optimal) proportions between traditional methods and innovative methods (digital tools) for the acquisition of lasting knowledge, skills and competences for business.