EU audit reform

The 2014 EU audit legislation is one of the most significant reforms to the undertaking of the statutory audit of public listed companies (and other entities).

The legislation applies to the 28 Member States from 17 June 2016 and subsequently to the three European Economic Area (EEA) countries (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway).

It includes major changes to the roles and duties of audit committees, introduces mandatory rotation of audit firms, further restrictions on the provision of non-audit services by auditors to their audit clients, and changes to the regulatory and oversight regimes.

On this page, you will find PwC guidance on the key changes, and information on implementation of the legislation across Member States.

The European Contact Group FAQs on the EU audit legislation are available here.

Guidance for audit committees

The EU audit legislation extends the responsibilities assigned to audit committees in a number of ways.

Along with the European Confederation of Directors’ Associations (ecoDa) we have produced a guide for audit committees, designed to help audit committee members understand the changes. It includes the composition and governance of audit committees, selection and appointment of the audit firm, monitoring the auditor’s independence, auditor reporting requirements and oversight.