Resolution of the Council and of the representatives of the governments of the Member States, meeting within the Council, of  27 June 2006  on a code of conduct on transfer pricing documentation for associated enterprises in the European Union (EU TPD)
Date: 2006-06-27
Institutions: Council of the European Union, Representatives of the Governments of the Member States
Subjects: EU Member State, code of conduct, document, exchange of information, fiscal policy, restrictive trade practice, transfer pricing

28.7.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 176/1

I

(Information)

COUNCIL

Resolution of the Council and of the representatives of the governments of the Member States,
meeting within the Council, of 27 June 2006 on a code of conduct on transfer pricing documenta-
tion for associated enterprises in the European Union (EU TPD)

(2006/C 176/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE REPRESENTA-
TIVES OF THE GOVERNMENTS OF THE MEMBER STATES, MEETING
WITHIN THE COUNCIL,

instrument for the implementation of standardised and partially
centralised transfer pricing documentation in the European
Union, with the aim of simplifying transfer pricing require-
ments for cross-border activities,

Having regard to the Commission's study entitled ‘Company
Taxation in the Internal Market’ (1),

Having regard to the proposal made by the Commission, in its
Communication of 23 October 2001 entitled ‘Towards an
internal market without obstacles — A strategy for providing
companies with a consolidated corporate tax base for their EU-
wide activities (2)’, for the establishment of an EU Joint Transfer
Pricing Forum,

Having regard to the Council conclusions of 11 March 2002
the Joint
welcoming this move and the establishment of
Transfer Pricing Forum in June 2002,

Considering that the internal market comprises an area without
frontiers in which the free movement of goods, persons,
services and capital is guaranteed,

Considering that in an internal market having the characteris-
transactions between associated
tics of a domestic market,
enterprises from different Member States should not be subject
to conditions less favourable than those applicable to the same
transactions carried out between associated enterprises from
the same Member State,

Considering that in the interest of the proper functioning of
the internal market, it is of major importance to reduce the
compliance costs as regards transfer pricing documentation for
associated enterprises,

Considering that the Code of Conduct contained in this Resolu-
tion provides Member States and taxpayers with a valuable

Considering that acceptance by Member States of standardised
and partially centralised transfer pricing documentation to
support transfer pricing on an arm's length basis could help
businesses to benefit more from the internal market,

Considering that transfer pricing documentation in the Euro-
pean Union needs to be viewed in the framework of the OECD
Transfer Pricing Guidelines,

Considering that standardised and partially centralised docu-
mentation should be implemented flexibly and should recog-
nise the particular circumstances of the business concerned,

Considering that a Member State may decide not
to have
transfer pricing documentation rules at all or to require less
transfer pricing documentation than that referred to in the
Code of Conduct contained in this Resolution,

Acknowledging that a common approach in the European
Union with respect to documentation requirements is beneficial
both for taxpayers, in particular in terms of reducing compli-
ance costs and exposure to documentation-related penalties,
and for tax administrations owing to enhanced transparency
and consistency,

Welcoming the Commission Communication of 7 November
2005 (3) on the work of the EU Joint Transfer Pricing Forum in
the field of business taxation and on a Code of Conduct on
transfer pricing documentation for associated enterprises in the
European Union,

(1) SEC(2001) 1681, 23.10.2001.
(2) COM(2001) 582 final, 23.10.2001.

(3) COM(2005) 543 final, 7.11.2005.

C 176/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

28.7.2006

Emphasising that the Code of Conduct is a political commit-
ment and does not affect the Member States' rights and obliga-
tions or the respective spheres of competence of the Member
States and the Community resulting from the Treaty estab-
lishing the European Community,

Acknowledging that
the Code of
Conduct contained in this Resolution should not hamper solu-
tions at a more global level,

the implementation of

HEREBY AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING CODE OF CONDUCT:

Code of conduct on transfer pricing documentation for
associated enterprises in the European Union (EU TPD)

Without prejudice to the respective spheres of competence of
the Member States and the Community, this Code of Conduct
concerns the implementation of standardised and partially
centralised transfer pricing documentation for associated enter-
prises in the European Union. It is addressed to Member States
but is also intended to encourage multinational enterprises to
apply the EU TPD approach.

1. Member States will accept standardised and partially centra-
lised transfer pricing documentation for associated enter-
prises in the European Union (EU TPD), as set out in the
Annex, and consider it as a basic set of information for the
assessment of a multinational enterprise group's transfer
prices.

2. The use of the EU TPD will be optional for a multinational

enterprise group.

3. Member States will apply similar considerations to docu-
mentation requirements for the attribution of profits to a

permanent establishment as apply to transfer pricing docu-
mentation.

4. Member States will, wherever necessary,

take duly into
account and be guided by the general principles and require-
ments referred to in the Annex.

5. Member States undertake not to require smaller and less
(including small and medium-sized
complex enterprises
enterprises) to produce the amount or complexity of docu-
mentation that might be expected from larger and more
complex enterprises.

6. Member States should:

(a) not impose unreasonable compliance costs or adminis-
trative burden on enterprises in requesting documenta-
tion to be created or obtained;

(b) not request documentation that has no bearing on trans-

actions under review;

(c) ensure that there is no public disclosure of confidential

information contained in documentation.

7. Member States should not impose a documentation-related
penalty where taxpayers comply in good faith, in a reason-
able manner and within a reasonable time with standardised
and consistent documentation as described in the Annex or
with a Member State's domestic documentation require-
ments, and apply their documentation properly to deter-
mine their arm's length transfer prices.

8. In order to ensure the even and effective application of this
Code, Member States should report annually to the Commis-
sion on any measures they have taken further to this Code
and its practical functioning.

28.7.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 176/3

TO THE CODE OF CONDUCT ON TRANSFER PRICING DOCUMENTATION FOR ASSOCIATED ENTER-
PRISES IN THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU TPD)

ANNEX

SECTION 1

CONTENT OF THE EU TPD

1. A multinational enterprise (MNE) group's standardised and consistent EU TPD consists of two main parts:

(i) one set of documentation containing common standardised information relevant for all EU group members (the

‘masterfile’), and

(ii) several sets of standardised documentation each containing country-specific information (‘country-specific docu-

mentation’).

The EU TPD should contain enough details to allow the tax administration to make a risk assessment for case selec-
tion purposes or at the beginning of a tax audit, ask relevant and precise questions regarding the MNE's transfer
pricing and assess the transfer prices of the inter-company transactions. Subject to paragraph 31, the company would
produce one single file for each Member State concerned, i.e. one common masterfile to be used in all Member States
concerned and a different set of country-specific documentation for each Member State.

2. Each of the items of the EU TPD listed below should be completed, taking into account the complexity of the enter-
prise and the transactions. As far as possible, information should be used that is already in existence within the
group (e.g. for management purposes). However, an MNE might be required to produce documentation for this
purpose that otherwise would not have been in existence.

3. The EU TPD covers all group entities resident in the EU including controlled transactions between enterprises resident

outside the EU and group entities resident in the EU.

4. The masterfile

4.1. The masterfile should follow the economic reality of the business and provide a ‘blueprint’ of the MNE group and

its transfer pricing system that would be relevant and available to all EU Member States concerned.

4.2. The masterfile should contain the following items:

(a) a general description of the business and business strategy, including changes in the business strategy compared

to the previous tax year;

(b) a general description of the MNE group's organisational, legal and operational structure (including an organisa-
tion chart, a list of group members and a description of the participation of the parent company in the subsidi-
aries);

(c) the general identification of the associated enterprises engaged in controlled transactions involving enterprises

in the EU;

(d) a general description of the controlled transactions involving associated enterprises in the EU, i.e. a general

description of:

(i) flows of transactions (tangible and intangible assets, services, financial),

(ii) invoice flows, and

(iii) amounts of transaction flows;

(e) a general description of functions performed, risks assumed and a description of changes in functions and risks

compared to the previous tax year, e.g. change from a fully fledged distributor to a commissionaire;

(f) the ownership of intangibles (patents, trademarks, brand names, know-how, etc.) and royalties paid or received;

C 176/4

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

28.7.2006

(g) the MNE group's inter-company transfer pricing policy or a description of the group's transfer pricing system

that explains the arm's length nature of the company's transfer prices;

(h) a list of cost contribution agreements, Advance Pricing Agreements and rulings covering transfer pricing

aspects as far as group members in the EU are affected; and

(i) an undertaking by each domestic taxpayer to provide supplementary information upon request and within a

reasonable time frame in accordance with national rules.

5. Country-specific documentation

5.1. The content of the country-specific documentation supplements the masterfile. Together the two constitute the
documentation file for the relevant EU Member State. The country-specific documentation would be available to
those tax administrations with a legitimate interest in the appropriate tax treatment of the transactions covered by
the documentation.

5.2. Country-specific documentation should contain, in addition to the content of the masterfile, the following items:

(a) a detailed description of the business and business strategy, including changes in the business strategy compared

to the previous tax year;

(b) information, i.e. description and explanation, on country-specific controlled transactions, including:

(i) flows of transactions (tangible and intangible assets, services, financial),

(ii) invoice flows, and

(iii) amounts of transaction flows;

(c) a comparability analysis, i.e.:

(i) characteristics of property and services,

(ii) functional analysis (functions performed, assets used, risks assumed),

(iii) contractual terms,

(iv) economic circumstances, and

(v) specific business strategies;

(d) an explanation of the selection and application of the transfer pricing method(s), i.e. why a specific transfer

pricing method was selected and how it was applied;

(e) relevant information on internal and/or external comparables if available; and

(f) a description of the implementation and application of the group's inter-company transfer pricing policy.

6. An MNE should have the possibility of including items in the masterfile instead of the country-specific documenta-
tion, keeping, however, the same level of detail as in the country-specific documentation. The country-specific
documentation should be prepared in a language prescribed by the Member State concerned, even if the MNE has
opted to keep the country-specific documentation in the masterfile.

7. Any country-specific information and documents that relate to a controlled transaction involving one or more
Member States must be contained either in the country-specific documentation of all the Member States concerned
or in the common masterfile.

8. MNEs should be allowed to prepare the country-specific documentation in one set of documentation (containing
information about all businesses in that country) or in separate files for each business or group of activities in that
country.

9.

The country-specific documentation should be prepared in a language prescribed by the Member State concerned.

28.7.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 176/5

SECTION 2

GENERAL APPLICATION RULES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR MNEs

10. Use of the EU TPD is optional for MNE groups. However, an MNE group should not arbitrarily opt in and out of
the EU Transfer Pricing Documentation approach for its documentation purposes but should apply the EU TPD in a
way that is consistent throughout the EU and from year to year.

11. An MNE group that opts for the EU TPD should generally apply this approach collectively to all associated enter-
prises engaged in controlled transactions involving enterprises in the EU to which transfer pricing rules apply.
Subject to paragraph 31, an MNE group opting for the EU TPD would, therefore, need to keep the documentation
specified in Section 1 in respect of all its enterprises in the Member State concerned, including permanent establish-
ments.

12. Where an MNE group has opted for the EU TPD for a given fiscal year, each member of the MNE group should

inform its tax administration accordingly.

13. MNEs should undertake to prepare the masterfile in time to comply with any legitimate request originating from

one of the tax administrations involved.

14. The taxpayer in a given Member State should make its EU TPD available, upon request by a tax administration,

within a reasonable time depending on the complexity of the transactions.

15. The taxpayer responsible for making documentation available to the tax administration is the taxpayer that would
be required to make the tax return and that would be liable to a penalty if adequate documentation were not made
available. This is the case even if the documentation is prepared and stored by one enterprise within a group on
behalf of another. The decision of an MNE group to apply the EU TPD implies a commitment towards all associated
enterprises in the EU to make the masterfile and the respective country-specific documentation available to its
national tax administration.

16. Where in its tax return, a taxpayer makes an adjustment to its accounts profit resulting from the application of the

arm's length principle, documentation demonstrating how the adjustment was calculated should be available.

17. The aggregation of transactions must be applied consistently, be transparent to the tax administration and be in
accordance with paragraph 1.42 of the OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines (which allow aggregation of transactions
that are so closely linked or continuous that they cannot be evaluated adequately on a separate basis). These rules
should be applied in a reasonable manner, taking into account in particular the number and complexity of the
transactions.

SECTION 3

GENERAL APPLICATION RULES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBER STATES

18. Since the EU TPD is a basic set of information for the assessment of the MNE group's transfer prices a Member
State would be entitled in its domestic law to require more and different information and documents, by specific
request or during a tax audit, than would be contained in the EU TPD.

19. The period for providing additional information and documents upon specific request referred to in paragraph 18
should be determined on a case-by-case basis taking into account the amount and detail of the information and
documents requested. Depending on specific local regulations, the timing should give the taxpayer a reasonable
time (which can vary depending on the complexity of the transaction) to prepare the additional information.

20. Taxpayers avoid cooperation-related penalties where they have agreed to adopt the EU TPD approach and provide,
upon specific request or during a tax audit, in a reasonable manner and within a reasonable time, additional infor-
mation and documents going beyond the EU TPD referred to in paragraph 18.

C 176/6

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

28.7.2006

21. Taxpayers should be required to submit their EU TPD, i.e. the masterfile and the country-specific documentation, to

the tax administration only at the beginning of a tax audit or upon specific request.

22. Where a Member State requires a taxpayer to submit information about transfer pricing with its tax return, that

information should be no more than a short questionnaire or an appropriate risk assessment form.

23. It may not always be necessary for documents to be translated into a local language. In order to minimise costs and
delays caused by translation, Member States should accept documents in a foreign language as far as possible. As far
as the EU Transfer Pricing Documentation is concerned, tax administrations should be prepared to accept the
masterfile in a commonly understood language in the Member States concerned. Translations of the masterfile
should be made available only if strictly necessary and upon specific request.

24. Member States should not oblige taxpayers to retain documentation beyond a reasonable period consistent with the
requirements of the domestic laws where the taxpayer is liable to tax regardless of where the documentation, or any
part of it, is situated.

25. Member States should evaluate domestic or non-domestic comparables with respect to the specific facts and circum-
stances of the case. For example, comparables found in pan-European databases should not be rejected automati-
cally. The use of non-domestic comparables by itself should not subject the taxpayer to penalties for non-compli-
ance.

SECTION 4

GENERAL APPLICATION RULES AND REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO MNEs AND MEMBER STATES

26. Where documentation produced for one period remains relevant for subsequent periods and continues to provide
evidence of arm's length pricing, it may be appropriate for the documentation for subsequent periods to refer to
earlier documentation rather than to repeat it.

27. Documentation does not need to replicate the documentation that might be found in negotiations between enter-
prises acting at arm's length (for example, in agreeing to a borrowing facility or a large contract) as long as it
includes adequate information to assess whether arm's length pricing has been applied.

28. The sort of documentation that needs to be produced by an enterprise that is a subsidiary enterprise in a group
may be different from that needed to be produced by a parent company, i.e. a subsidiary company would not need
to produce information about all of the cross-border relationships and transactions between associated enterprises
within the MNE group but only about relationships and transactions relevant to the subsidiary in question.

29. It should be irrelevant for tax administrations where a taxpayer prepares and stores its documentation as long as the
documentation is sufficient and made available in a timely manner to the tax administrations involved upon
request. Taxpayers should, therefore, be free to keep their documentation, including their EU TPD, either in a
centralised or in a decentralised manner.

30. The way that documentation is stored — whether on paper, in electronic form or in any other way — should be at
the discretion of the taxpayer, provided that it can be made available to the tax administration in a reasonable way.

31. In well justified cases, e.g. where an MNE group has a decentralised organisational, legal or operational structure or
consists of several large divisions with completely different product lines and transfer pricing policies or no inter-
company transactions, and in the case of a recently acquired enterprise, an MNE group should be allowed to
produce more than one masterfile or to exempt specific group members from the EU TPD.

28.7.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 176/7

SECTION 5

GLOSSARY

MULTINATIONAL ENTERPRISE (MNE) AND MNE GROUP

According to the OECD Transfer Pricing Guidelines:

— an MNE is a company that is part of an MNE group,

— an MNE group is a group of associated companies with business establishments in two or more countries.

STANDARDISED DOCUMENTATION

A uniform, EU-wide set of rules for documentation requirements according to which all enterprises in Member States
prepare separate and unique documentation packages. This more prescriptive approach aims at arriving at a decentra-
lised but standardised set of documentation, i.e. each entity in a multinational group prepares its own documentation,
but according to the same rules.

CENTRALISED (INTEGRATED GLOBAL) DOCUMENTATION

A single documentation package (core documentation) on a global or regional basis that is prepared by the parent
company or headquarters of a group of companies in a EU-wide standardised and consistent form. This documentation
package can serve as the basis for preparing local country documentation from both local and central sources.

EU TRANSFER PRICING DOCUMENTATION (EU TPD)

The EU Transfer Pricing Documentation (EU TPD) approach combines aspects of the standardised and of the centralised
(integrated global) documentation approach. A multinational group would prepare one set of standardised and consistent
transfer pricing documentation that would consist of two main parts:

(i) one uniform set of documentation containing common standardised information relevant for all EU group members

(the ‘masterfile’), and

(ii) several sets of standardised documentation each containing country-specific information (‘country-specific documen-

tation’).

The documentation set for a given country would consist of the common masterfile supplemented by the standardised
country-specific documentation for that country.

DOCUMENTATION-RELATED PENALTY

An administrative (or civil) penalty imposed for failure to comply with the EU TPD or the domestic documentation
requirements of a Member State (depending on which requirements the MNE has chosen to comply with) at the time
the EU TPD or the domestic documentation required by a Member State was due to be submitted to the tax administra-
tion.

COOPERATION-RELATED PENALTY

An administrative (or civil) penalty imposed for failure to comply in a timely manner with a specific request of a tax
administration to submit additional information or documents going beyond the EU TPD or the domestic documenta-
tion requirements of a Member State (depending on which requirements the MNE has chosen to comply with).

ADJUSTMENT-RELATED PENALTY

A penalty imposed for failure to comply with the arm's length principle usually levied in the form of a surcharge at a
fixed amount or a certain percentage of the transfer pricing adjustment or the tax understatement.