Commission Regulation (EU) 2015/2231 of 2 December 2015 amending Regulation (EC) No 1126/2008 adopting certain international accounting standards in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards International Accounting Standards 16 and 38 (Text with EEA relevance)
Date: 2015-12-02
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: accounting, financial regulation, international standard, real property, standardised accounting system








L_2015317EN.01001901.xml










3.12.2015   


EN


Official Journal of the European Union


L 317/19








            COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) 2015/2231
of 2 December 2015
         
amending Regulation (EC) No 1126/2008 adopting certain international accounting standards in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards International Accounting Standards 16 and 38
(Text with EEA relevance)


THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,


Having regard to Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 July 2002 on the application of international accounting standards (1), and in particular Article 3(1) thereof,

Whereas:







(1)


By Commission Regulation (EC) No 1126/2008 (2) certain international standards and interpretations that were in existence at 15 October 2008 were adopted.












(2)


On 12 May 2014, the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) issued amendments to IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment and IAS 38 Intangible Assets entitled Clarification of Acceptable Methods of Depreciation and Amortisation. Due to divergent practices, it is necessary to clarify, whether it is appropriate to use revenue-based methods to calculate the depreciation or amortisation of an asset.












(3)


The consultation with the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group confirms that the amendments to IAS 16 and IAS 38 meet the criteria for adoption set out in Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002.












(4)


Regulation (EC) No 1126/2008 should therefore be amended accordingly.












(5)


The measures provided for in this Regulation are in accordance with the opinion of the Accounting Regulatory Committee,





HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:



Article 1
The Annex to Regulation (EC) No 1126/2008 is amended as follows:






(a)


International Accounting Standard (IAS) 16 Property, Plant and Equipment is amended as set out in the Annex to this Regulation;










(b)


IAS 38 Intangible Assets is amended as set out in the Annex to this Regulation.






Article 2
Each company shall apply the amendments referred to in Article 1, at the latest, as from the commencement date of its first financial year starting on or after 1 January 2016.


Article 3
This Regulation shall enter into force on the third day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.




This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 2 December 2015.


For the Commission


The President

Jean-Claude JUNCKER
            





(1)  
            OJ L 243, 11.9.2002, p. 1.

(2)  Commission Regulation (EC) No 1126/2008 of 3 November 2008 adopting certain international accounting standards in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council (OJ L 320, 29.11.2008, p. 1).




ANNEX

Clarification of Acceptable Methods of Depreciation and Amortisation

(Amendments to IAS 16 and IAS 38)

Amendments to IAS 16 Property, Plant and Equipment


Paragraph 56 is amended and paragraphs 62A and 81I are added. Paragraphs 60–62 are not amended but are included here for ease of reference.

Depreciable amount and depreciation period

…








56.


The future economic benefits embodied in an asset are consumed by an entity principally through its use. However, other factors, such as technical or commercial obsolescence and wear and tear while an asset remains idle, often result in the diminution of the economic benefits that might have been obtained from the asset. Consequently, all the following factors are considered in determining the useful life of an asset:






(a)


…










(c)


technical or commercial obsolescence arising from changes or improvements in production, or from a change in the market demand for the product or service output of the asset. Expected future reductions in the selling price of an item that was produced using an asset could indicate the expectation of technical or commercial obsolescence of the asset, which, in turn, might reflect a reduction of the future economic benefits embodied in the asset.




…





Depreciation method










60.




The depreciation method used shall reflect the pattern in which the asset's future economic benefits are expected to be consumed by the entity.














61.




The depreciation method applied to an asset shall be reviewed at least at each financial year-end and, if there has been a significant change in the expected pattern of consumption of the future economic benefits embodied in the asset, the method shall be changed to reflect the changed pattern. Such a change shall be accounted for as a change in an accounting estimate in accordance with IAS 8.













62.


A variety of depreciation methods can be used to allocate the depreciable amount of an asset on a systematic basis over its useful life. These methods include the straight-line method, the diminishing balance method and the units of production method. Straight-line depreciation results in a constant charge over the useful life if the asset's residual value does not change. The diminishing balance method results in a decreasing charge over the useful life. The units of production method results in a charge based on the expected use or output. The entity selects the method that most closely reflects the expected pattern of consumption of the future economic benefits embodied in the asset. That method is applied consistently from period to period unless there is a change in the expected pattern of consumption of those future economic benefits.












62A


A depreciation method that is based on revenue that is generated by an activity that includes the use of an asset is not appropriate. The revenue generated by an activity that includes the use of an asset generally reflects factors other than the consumption of the economic benefits of the asset. For example, revenue is affected by other inputs and processes, selling activities and changes in sales volumes and prices. The price component of revenue may be affected by inflation, which has no bearing upon the way in which an asset is consumed.
…




EFFECTIVE DATE
…








81I



Clarification of Acceptable Methods of Depreciation and Amortisation (Amendments to IAS 16 and IAS 38), issued in May 2014, amended paragraph 56 and added paragraph 62A. An entity shall apply those amendments prospectively for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2016. Earlier application is permitted. If an entity applies those amendments for an earlier period it shall disclose that fact.





Amendments to IAS 38 Intangible Assets


Paragraph 92 is amended. In paragraph 98, the phrase ‘unit of production method’ has been amended to ‘units of production method’. Paragraphs 98A–98C and 130J are added. Paragraph 97 is not amended but is included here for ease of reference.
USEFUL LIFE
…








92.


Given the history of rapid changes in technology, computer software and many other intangible assets are susceptible to technological obsolescence. Therefore, it will often be the case that their useful life is short. Expected future reductions in the selling price of an item that was produced using an intangible asset could indicate the expectation of technological or commercial obsolescence of the asset, which, in turn, might reflect a reduction of the future economic benefits embodied in the asset.
…





Amortisation period and amortisation method










97.




The depreciable amount of an intangible asset with a finite useful life shall be allocated on a systematic basis over its useful life. Amortisation shall begin when the asset is available for use, ie when it is in the location and condition necessary for it to be capable of operating in the manner intended by management. Amortisation shall cease at the earlier of the date that the asset is classified as held for sale (or included in a disposal group that is classified as held for sale) in accordance with IFRS 5 and the date that the asset is derecognised. The amortisation method used shall reflect the pattern in which the asset's future economic benefits are expected to be consumed by the entity. If that pattern cannot be determined reliably, the straight-line method shall be used. The amortisation charge for each period shall be recognised in profit or loss unless this or another Standard permits or requires it to be included in the carrying amount of another asset.













98.


A variety of amortisation methods can be used to allocate the depreciable amount of an asset on a systematic basis over its useful life. These methods include the straight-line method, the diminishing balance method and the units of production method. The method used is selected on the basis of the expected pattern of consumption of the expected future economic benefits embodied in the asset and is applied consistently from period to period, unless there is a change in the expected pattern of consumption of those future economic benefits.












98A


There is a rebuttable presumption that an amortisation method that is based on the revenue generated by an activity that includes the use of an intangible asset is inappropriate. The revenue generated by an activity that includes the use of an intangible asset typically reflects factors that are not directly linked to the consumption of the economic benefits embodied in the intangible asset. For example, revenue is affected by other inputs and processes, selling activities and changes in sales volumes and prices. The price component of revenue may be affected by inflation, which has no bearing upon the way in which an asset is consumed. This presumption can be overcome only in the limited circumstances:






(a)


in which the intangible asset is expressed as a measure of revenue, as described in paragraph 98C; or










(b)


when it can be demonstrated that revenue and the consumption of the economic benefits of the intangible asset are highly correlated.
















98B


In choosing an appropriate amortisation method in accordance with paragraph 98, an entity could determine the predominant limiting factor that is inherent in the intangible asset. For example, the contract that sets out the entity's rights over its use of an intangible asset might specify the entity's use of the intangible asset as a predetermined number of years (ie time), as a number of units produced or as a fixed total amount of revenue to be generated. Identification of such a predominant limiting factor could serve as the starting point for the identification of the appropriate basis of amortisation, but another basis may be applied if it more closely reflects the expected pattern of consumption of economic benefits.












98C


In the circumstance in which the predominant limiting factor that is inherent in an intangible asset is the achievement of a revenue threshold, the revenue to be generated can be an appropriate basis for amortisation. For example, an entity could acquire a concession to explore and extract gold from a gold mine. The expiry of the contract might be based on a fixed amount of total revenue to be generated from the extraction (for example, a contract may allow the extraction of gold from the mine until total cumulative revenue from the sale of gold reaches CU2 billion) and not be based on time or on the amount of gold extracted. In another example, the right to operate a toll road could be based on a fixed total amount of revenue to be generated from cumulative tolls charged (for example, a contract could allow operation of the toll road until the cumulative amount of tolls generated from operating the road reaches CU100 million). In the case in which revenue has been established as the predominant limiting factor in the contract for the use of the intangible asset, the revenue that is to be generated might be an appropriate basis for amortising the intangible asset, provided that the contract specifies a fixed total amount of revenue to be generated on which amortisation is to be determined.
…




TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS AND EFFECTIVE DATE
…








130J



Clarification of Acceptable Methods of Depreciation and Amortisation (Amendments to IAS 16 and IAS 38), issued in May 2014, amended paragraphs 92 and 98 and added paragraphs 98A–98C. An entity shall apply those amendments prospectively for annual periods beginning on or after 1 January 2016. Earlier application is permitted. If an entity applies those amendments for an earlier period it shall disclose that fact.