The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced that it has signed protocols enabling it to share information with financial regulators in four European countries on the application of International Financial Reporting Standards.

The arrangements with regulators in Belgium, Bulgaria, Norway and Portugal are in line with the work plan previously agreed to between the SEC and the Committee of European Securities Regulators, the SEC says. It already has a similar agreement with the UK Financial Reporting Council and the UK Financial Services Authority.

The SEC says these protocols join the growing list of arrangements for regulatory, enforcement and supervisory cooperation between the commission and its foreign counterparts.

SEC chairman Christopher Cox said, “These four new international protocols add to the arrangements that the SEC has concluded within the last year alone with the College of Euronext Regulators, the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, the United Kingdom Financial Services Authority and the UK Financial Reporting Council — all aimed at enhancing regulatory, enforcement and supervisory cooperation.”

“International arrangements of this kind are quickly becoming a cornerstone of U.S. securities regulation in today’s global marketplace,” Cox added. “As American investors and companies increasingly demand seamless cross-border access to information and capital, the SEC is striving for seamless high-quality regulation across borders. These new avenues for cooperation and coordination represent an important step in our pursuit of that goal.”