Article 1 Scope
1. The coordination measures prescribed by this Directive shall apply to the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to the types of undertakings listed: (a) in Annex I; (b) in Annex II, where all of the direct or indirect members of the undertaking having otherwise unlimited liability in fact have limited liability by reason of those members being undertakings which are: (i) of the types listed in Annex I; or (ii) not governed by the law of a Member State but which have a legal form comparable to those listed in Annex I. 2. Member States shall inform the Commission within a reasonable period of time of changes in the types of undertakings in their national law that may affect the accuracy of Annex I or Annex II. In such a case, the Commission shall be empowered to adapt, by means of delegated acts in accordance with Article 49, the lists of undertakings contained in Annexes I and II.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL The proposal for a Council Directive adapting Directive 2013/34/EU is necessitated by the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union. The Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union[1] (hereinafter: “the Treaty of Accession”) was signed by all Member States of the European Union and the Republic of Croatia at Brussels on 9 December 2011. Article 3(3) of the Treaty of Accession provides that it shall enter into force on 1 July 2013 provided that all the instruments of ratification have been deposited before that date. Article 3(4) of the Treaty of Accession enables the institutions of the Union to adopt before accession measures referred to, inter alia, in Article 50 of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Croatia[2] (hereinafter: “the Act of Accession”). These measures shall enter into force only subject to and on the date of the entry into force of the Treaty of Accession. Article 50 of the Act of Accession provides that where acts of the institutions adopted prior to accession require adaptation by reason of accession, and the necessary adaptations have not been provided for in this Act of Accession or its Annexes, the Council or the Commission (if the original acts were adopted by the Commission) shall adopt the necessary acts. The Directive 2013/34/EU was adopted on 26 June 2013 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 29 June 2013. It does not include necessary references to the companies established in Croatia that should be within the scope of the Directive. Council Directive 2013/24/EU of 13 May 2013 adapting certain directives in the field of company law, by reason of the accession of the republic of Croatia adapted Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC, in order to add to the scope of those Directives the relevant list of Croatian limited liability companies. However, these directives were repealed when Directive 2013/34/EU entered into force in July 2103. Therefore it is necessary to take into account this evolution of the Union law and adapt Directive 2013/34/EU accordingly. The present proposal for a Council Directive covers the technical adaptations to Directive 2013/34/EU that are required by reason of the accession of Croatia.
Revised version (Article 1 Scope):
1. The coordination measures prescribed by this Directive shall apply to the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to the types of undertakings listed: (a) in Annex I; (b) in Annex II, where all of the direct or indirect members of the undertaking having otherwise unlimited liability in fact have limited liability by reason of those members being undertakings which are: (i) of the types listed in Annex I; or (ii) not governed by the law of a Member State but which have a legal form comparable to those listed in Annex I. (b) in Annex II, where all of the direct or indirect members of the undertaking having otherwise unlimited liability in fact have limited liability by reason of those members being undertakings which are: (i) of the types listed in Annex I; or (ii) not governed by the law of a Member State but which have a legal form comparable to those listed in Annex I. 2. Member States shall inform the Commission within a reasonable period of time of changes in the types of undertakings in their national law that may affect the accuracy of Annex I or Annex II. In such a case, the Commission shall be empowered to adapt, by means of delegated acts in accordance with Article 49, the lists of undertakings contained in Annexes I and II.
Article 2 Definitions
For the purposes of this Directive, the following definitions shall apply: (1) ‧public-interest entities‧ means undertakings within the scope of Article 1 which are: (a) governed by the law of a Member State and whose transferable securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market of any Member State within the meaning of point (14) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2004/39/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on markets in financial instruments ( 12 ) ; (b) credit institutions as defined in point (1) of Article 4 of Directive 2006/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2006 relating to the taking up and pursuit of the business of credit institutions ( 13 ) , other than those referred to in Article 2 of that Directive; (c) insurance undertakings within the meaning of Article 2(1) of Council Directive 91/674/EEC of 19 December 1991 on the annual accounts of insurance undertakings ( 14 ) ; or (d) designated by Member States as public-interest entities, for instance undertakings that are of significant public relevance because of the nature of their business, their size or the number of their employees; (2) ‧participating interest‧ means rights in the capital of other undertakings, whether or not represented by certificates, which, by creating a durable link with those undertakings, are intended to contribute to the activities of the undertaking which holds those rights. The holding of part of the capital of another undertaking is presumed to constitute a participating interest where it exceeds a percentage threshold fixed by the Member States which is lower than or equal to 20 %; (3) ‧related party‧ has the same meaning as in the international accounting standards adopted in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 July 2002 on the application of international accounting standards ( 15 ) ; (4) ‧fixed assets‧ means those assets which are intended for use on a continuing basis for the undertaking's activities; (5) ‧net turnover‧ means the amounts derived from the sale of products and the provision of services after deducting sales rebates and value added tax and other taxes directly linked to turnover; (6) ‧purchase price‧ means the price payable and any incidental expenses minus any incidental reductions in the cost of acquisition; (7) ‧production cost‧ means the purchase price of raw materials, consumables and other costs directly attributable to the item in question. Member States shall permit or require the inclusion of a reasonable proportion of fixed or variable overhead costs indirectly attributable to the item in question, to the extent that they relate to the period of production. Distribution costs shall not be included; (8) ‧value adjustment‧ means the adjustments intended to take account of changes in the values of individual assets established at the balance sheet date, whether the change is final or not; (9) ‧parent undertaking‧ means an undertaking which controls one or more subsidiary undertakings; (10) ‧subsidiary undertaking‧ means an undertaking controlled by a parent undertaking, including any subsidiary undertaking of an ultimate parent undertaking; (11) ‧group‧ means a parent undertaking and all its subsidiary undertakings; (12) ‧affiliated undertakings‧ means any two or more undertakings within a group; (13) ‧associated undertaking‧ means an undertaking in which another undertaking has a participating interest, and over whose operating and financial policies that other undertaking exercises significant influence. An undertaking is presumed to exercise a significant influence over another undertaking where it has 20 % or more of the shareholders' or members' voting rights in that other undertaking; (14) ‧investment undertakings‧ means: (a) undertakings the sole object of which is to invest their funds in various securities, real property and other assets, with the sole aim of spreading investment risks and giving their shareholders the benefit of the results of the management of their assets, (b) undertakings associated with investment undertakings with fixed capital, if the sole object of those associated undertakings is to acquire fully paid shares issued by those investment undertakings without prejudice to point (h) of Article 22(1) of Directive 2012/30/EU; (15) ‧financial holding undertakings‧ means undertakings the sole object of which is to acquire holdings in other undertakings and to manage such holdings and turn them to profit, without involving themselves directly or indirectly in the management of those undertakings, without prejudice to their rights as shareholders; (16) ‧material‧ means the status of information where its omission or misstatement could reasonably be expected to influence decisions that users make on the basis of the financial statements of the undertaking. The materiality of individual items shall be assessed in the context of other similar items.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL The proposal for a Council Directive adapting Directive 2013/34/EU is necessitated by the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union. The Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union[1] (hereinafter: “the Treaty of Accession”) was signed by all Member States of the European Union and the Republic of Croatia at Brussels on 9 December 2011. Article 3(3) of the Treaty of Accession provides that it shall enter into force on 1 July 2013 provided that all the instruments of ratification have been deposited before that date. Article 3(4) of the Treaty of Accession enables the institutions of the Union to adopt before accession measures referred to, inter alia, in Article 50 of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Croatia[2] (hereinafter: “the Act of Accession”). These measures shall enter into force only subject to and on the date of the entry into force of the Treaty of Accession. Article 50 of the Act of Accession provides that where acts of the institutions adopted prior to accession require adaptation by reason of accession, and the necessary adaptations have not been provided for in this Act of Accession or its Annexes, the Council or the Commission (if the original acts were adopted by the Commission) shall adopt the necessary acts. The Directive 2013/34/EU was adopted on 26 June 2013 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 29 June 2013. It does not include necessary references to the companies established in Croatia that should be within the scope of the Directive. Council Directive 2013/24/EU of 13 May 2013 adapting certain directives in the field of company law, by reason of the accession of the republic of Croatia adapted Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC, in order to add to the scope of those Directives the relevant list of Croatian limited liability companies. However, these directives were repealed when Directive 2013/34/EU entered into force in July 2103. Therefore it is necessary to take into account this evolution of the Union law and adapt Directive 2013/34/EU accordingly. The present proposal for a Council Directive covers the technical adaptations to Directive 2013/34/EU that are required by reason of the accession of Croatia.
Revised version (Article 2 Definitions):
For the purposes of this Directive, the following definitions shall apply: (1) ‘public-interest entities’ means undertakings within the scope of Article 1 which are: (a) governed by the law of a Member State and whose transferable securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market of any Member State within the meaning of point (14) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2004/39/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on markets in financial instruments ( 12 ); (b) credit institutions as defined in point (1) of Article 4 of Directive 2006/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2006 relating to the taking up and pursuit of the business of credit institutions ( 13 ), other than those referred to in Article 2 of that Directive; (c) insurance undertakings within the meaning of Article 2(1) of Council Directive 91/674/EEC of 19 December 1991 on the annual accounts of insurance undertakings ( 14 ); or (d) designated by Member States as public-interest entities, for instance undertakings that are of significant public relevance because of the nature of their business, their size or the number of their employees; (1) ‘public-interest entities’ means undertakings within the scope of Article 1 which are: (a) governed by the law of a Member State and whose transferable securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market of any Member State within the meaning of point (14) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2004/39/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on markets in financial instruments ( 12 ); (b) credit institutions as defined in point (1) of Article 4 of Directive 2006/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2006 relating to the taking up and pursuit of the business of credit institutions ( 13 ), other than those referred to in Article 2 of that Directive; (c) insurance undertakings within the meaning of Article 2(1) of Council Directive 91/674/EEC of 19 December 1991 on the annual accounts of insurance undertakings ( 14 ); or (d) designated by Member States as public-interest entities, for instance undertakings that are of significant public relevance because of the nature of their business, their size or the number of their employees; (2) ‘participating interest’ means rights in the capital of other undertakings, whether or not represented by certificates, which, by creating a durable link with those undertakings, are intended to contribute to the activities of the undertaking which holds those rights. The holding of part of the capital of another undertaking is presumed to constitute a participating interest where it exceeds a percentage threshold fixed by the Member States which is lower than or equal to 20 %; (3) ‘related party’ has the same meaning as in the international accounting standards adopted in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 July 2002 on the application of international accounting standards ( 15 ); (4) ‘fixed assets’ means those assets which are intended for use on a continuing basis for the undertaking's activities; (5) ‘net turnover’ means the amounts derived from the sale of products and the provision of services after deducting sales rebates and value added tax and other taxes directly linked to turnover; (6) ‘purchase price’ means the price payable and any incidental expenses minus any incidental reductions in the cost of acquisition; (7) ‘production cost’ means the purchase price of raw materials, consumables and other costs directly attributable to the item in question. Member States shall permit or require the inclusion of a reasonable proportion of fixed or variable overhead costs indirectly attributable to the item in question, to the extent that they relate to the period of production. Distribution costs shall not be included; (8) ‘value adjustment’ means the adjustments intended to take account of changes in the values of individual assets established at the balance sheet date, whether the change is final or not; (9) ‘parent undertaking’ means an undertaking which controls one or more subsidiary undertakings; (10) ‘subsidiary undertaking’ means an undertaking controlled by a parent undertaking, including any subsidiary undertaking of an ultimate parent undertaking; (11) ‘group’ means a parent undertaking and all its subsidiary undertakings; (12) ‘affiliated undertakings’ means any two or more undertakings within a group; (13) ‘associated undertaking’ means an undertaking in which another undertaking has a participating interest, and over whose operating and financial policies that other undertaking exercises significant influence. An undertaking is presumed to exercise a significant influence over another undertaking where it has 20 % or more of the shareholders' or members' voting rights in that other undertaking; (14) ‘investment undertakings’ means: (a) undertakings the sole object of which is to invest their funds in various securities, real property and other assets, with the sole aim of spreading investment risks and giving their shareholders the benefit of the results of the management of their assets, (b) undertakings associated with investment undertakings with fixed capital, if the sole object of those associated undertakings is to acquire fully paid shares issued by those investment undertakings without prejudice to point (h) of Article 22(1) of Directive 2012/30/EU; (14) ‘investment undertakings’ means: (a) undertakings the sole object of which is to invest their funds in various securities, real property and other assets, with the sole aim of spreading investment risks and giving their shareholders the benefit of the results of the management of their assets, (b) undertakings associated with investment undertakings with fixed capital, if the sole object of those associated undertakings is to acquire fully paid shares issued by those investment undertakings without prejudice to point (h) of Article 22(1) of Directive 2012/30/EU; (15) ‘financial holding undertakings’ means undertakings the sole object of which is to acquire holdings in other undertakings and to manage such holdings and turn them to profit, without involving themselves directly or indirectly in the management of those undertakings, without prejudice to their rights as shareholders; (16) ‘material’ means the status of information where its omission or misstatement could reasonably be expected to influence decisions that users make on the basis of the financial statements of the undertaking. The materiality of individual items shall be assessed in the context of other similar items.
Article 3 Categories of undertakings and groups
1. In applying one or more of the options in Article 36, Member States shall define micro-undertakings as undertakings which on their balance sheet dates do not exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria: (a) balance sheet total: EUR 350 000; (b) net turnover: EUR 700 000; (c) average number of employees during the financial year: 10. 2. Small undertakings shall be undertakings which on their balance sheet dates do not exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria: (a) balance sheet total: EUR 4 000 000; (b) net turnover: EUR 8 000 000; (c) average number of employees during the financial year: 50. Member States may define thresholds exceeding the thresholds in points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph. However, the thresholds shall not exceed EUR 6 000 000 for the balance sheet total and EUR 12 000 000 for the net turnover. 3. Medium-sized undertakings shall be undertakings which are not micro-undertakings or small undertakings and which on their balance sheet dates do not exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria: (a) balance sheet total: EUR 20 000 000; (b) net turnover: EUR 40 000 000; (c) average number of employees during the financial year: 250. 4. Large undertakings shall be undertakings which on their balance sheet dates exceed at least two of the three following criteria: (a) balance sheet total: EUR 20 000 000; (b) net turnover: EUR 40 000 000; (c) average number of employees during the financial year: 250. 5. Small groups shall be groups consisting of parent and subsidiary undertakings to be included in a consolidation and which, on a consolidated basis, do not exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria on the balance sheet date of the parent undertaking: (a) balance sheet total: EUR 4 000 000; (b) net turnover: EUR 8 000 000; (c) average number of employees during the financial year: 50. Member States may define thresholds exceeding the thresholds in points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph. However, the thresholds shall not exceed EUR 6 000 000 for the balance sheet total and EUR 12 000 000 for the net turnover. 6. Medium-sized groups shall be groups which are not small groups, which consist of parent and subsidiary undertakings to be included in a consolidation and which, on a consolidated basis, do not exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria on the balance sheet date of the parent undertaking: (a) balance sheet total: EUR 20 000 000; (b) net turnover: EUR 40 000 000; (c) average number of employees during the financial year: 250. 7. Large groups shall be groups consisting of parent and subsidiary undertakings to be included in a consolidation and which, on a consolidated basis, exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria on the balance sheet date of the parent undertaking: (a) balance sheet total: EUR 20 000 000; (b) net turnover: EUR 40 000 000; (c) average number of employees during the financial year: 250. 8. Member States shall permit the set-off referred to in Article 24(3) and any elimination as a consequence of Article 24(7) not to be effected when the limits in paragraphs 5 to 7 of this Article are calculated. In such cases, the limits for the balance sheet total and net turnover criteria shall be increased by 20 %. 9. In the case of those Member States which have not adopted the euro, the amount in national currency equivalent to the amounts set out in paragraphs 1 to 7 shall be that obtained by applying the exchange rate published in the Official Journal of the European Union as at the date of the entry into force of any Directive setting those amounts. For the purposes of conversion into the national currencies of those Member States which have not adopted the euro, the amounts in euro specified in paragraphs 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 may be increased or decreased by not more than 5 % in order to produce round sum amounts in the national currencies. 10. Where, on its balance sheet date, an undertaking or a group exceeds or ceases to exceed the limits of two of the three criteria set out in paragraphs 1 to 7, that fact shall affect the application of the derogations provided for in this Directive only if it occurs in two consecutive financial years. 11. The balance sheet total referred to in paragraphs 1 to 7 of this Article shall consist of the total value of the assets in A to E under ‧Assets‧ in the layout set out in Annex III or of the assets in A to E in the layout set out in Annex IV. 12. When calculating the thresholds in paragraphs 1 to 7, Member States may require the inclusion of income from other sources for undertakings for which "net turnover" is not relevant. Member States may require parent undertakings to calculate their thresholds on a consolidated basis rather than on an individual basis. Member States may also require affiliated undertakings to calculate their thresholds on a consolidated or aggregated basis where such undertakings have been established for the sole purpose of avoiding the reporting of certain information. 13. In order to adjust for the effects of inflation, the Commission shall at least every five years review and, where appropriate, amend, by means of delegated acts in accordance with Article 49, the thresholds referred to in paragraphs 1 to 7 of this Article, taking into account measures of inflation as published in the Official Journal of the European Union .
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL The proposal for a Council Directive adapting Directive 2013/34/EU is necessitated by the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union. The Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union[1] (hereinafter: “the Treaty of Accession”) was signed by all Member States of the European Union and the Republic of Croatia at Brussels on 9 December 2011. Article 3(3) of the Treaty of Accession provides that it shall enter into force on 1 July 2013 provided that all the instruments of ratification have been deposited before that date. Article 3(4) of the Treaty of Accession enables the institutions of the Union to adopt before accession measures referred to, inter alia, in Article 50 of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Croatia[2] (hereinafter: “the Act of Accession”). These measures shall enter into force only subject to and on the date of the entry into force of the Treaty of Accession. Article 50 of the Act of Accession provides that where acts of the institutions adopted prior to accession require adaptation by reason of accession, and the necessary adaptations have not been provided for in this Act of Accession or its Annexes, the Council or the Commission (if the original acts were adopted by the Commission) shall adopt the necessary acts. The Directive 2013/34/EU was adopted on 26 June 2013 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 29 June 2013. It does not include necessary references to the companies established in Croatia that should be within the scope of the Directive. Council Directive 2013/24/EU of 13 May 2013 adapting certain directives in the field of company law, by reason of the accession of the republic of Croatia adapted Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC, in order to add to the scope of those Directives the relevant list of Croatian limited liability companies. However, these directives were repealed when Directive 2013/34/EU entered into force in July 2103. Therefore it is necessary to take into account this evolution of the Union law and adapt Directive 2013/34/EU accordingly. The present proposal for a Council Directive covers the technical adaptations to Directive 2013/34/EU that are required by reason of the accession of Croatia.
Revised version (Article 3 Categories of undertakings and groups):
1. In applying one or more of the options in Article 36, Member States shall define micro-undertakings as undertakings which on their balance sheet dates do not exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria: (a) balance sheet total: EUR 350 000 ; (b) net turnover: EUR 700 000 ; (c) average number of employees during the financial year: 10. 2. Small undertakings shall be undertakings which on their balance sheet dates do not exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria: (a) balance sheet total: EUR 4 000 000 ; (b) net turnover: EUR 8 000 000 ; (c) average number of employees during the financial year: 50. Member States may define thresholds exceeding the thresholds in points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph. However, the thresholds shall not exceed EUR 6 000 000 for the balance sheet total and EUR 12 000 000 for the net turnover. 3. Medium-sized undertakings shall be undertakings which are not micro-undertakings or small undertakings and which on their balance sheet dates do not exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria: (a) balance sheet total: EUR 20 000 000 ; (b) net turnover: EUR 40 000 000 ; (c) average number of employees during the financial year: 250. 4. Large undertakings shall be undertakings which on their balance sheet dates exceed at least two of the three following criteria: 5. Small groups shall be groups consisting of parent and subsidiary undertakings to be included in a consolidation and which, on a consolidated basis, do not exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria on the balance sheet date of the parent undertaking: 6. Medium-sized groups shall be groups which are not small groups, which consist of parent and subsidiary undertakings to be included in a consolidation and which, on a consolidated basis, do not exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria on the balance sheet date of the parent undertaking: 7. Large groups shall be groups consisting of parent and subsidiary undertakings to be included in a consolidation and which, on a consolidated basis, exceed the limits of at least two of the three following criteria on the balance sheet date of the parent undertaking: 8. Member States shall permit the set-off referred to in Article 24(3) and any elimination as a consequence of Article 24(7) not to be effected when the limits in paragraphs 5 to 7 of this Article are calculated. In such cases, the limits for the balance sheet total and net turnover criteria shall be increased by 20 %. 9. In the case of those Member States which have not adopted the euro, the amount in national currency equivalent to the amounts set out in paragraphs 1 to 7 shall be that obtained by applying the exchange rate published in the Official Journal of the European Union as at the date of the entry into force of any Directive setting those amounts. For the purposes of conversion into the national currencies of those Member States which have not adopted the euro, the amounts in euro specified in paragraphs 1, 3, 4, 6 and 7 may be increased or decreased by not more than 5 % in order to produce round sum amounts in the national currencies. 10. Where, on its balance sheet date, an undertaking or a group exceeds or ceases to exceed the limits of two of the three criteria set out in paragraphs 1 to 7, that fact shall affect the application of the derogations provided for in this Directive only if it occurs in two consecutive financial years. 11. The balance sheet total referred to in paragraphs 1 to 7 of this Article shall consist of the total value of the assets in A to E under ‘Assets’ in the layout set out in Annex III or of the assets in A to E in the layout set out in Annex IV. 12. When calculating the thresholds in paragraphs 1 to 7, Member States may require the inclusion of income from other sources for undertakings for which ‘net turnover’ is not relevant. Member States may require parent undertakings to calculate their thresholds on a consolidated basis rather than on an individual basis. Member States may also require affiliated undertakings to calculate their thresholds on a consolidated or aggregated basis where such undertakings have been established for the sole purpose of avoiding the reporting of certain information. 13. In order to adjust for the effects of inflation, the Commission shall at least every five years review and, where appropriate, amend, by means of delegated acts in accordance with Article 49, the thresholds referred to in paragraphs 1 to 7 of this Article, taking into account measures of inflation as published in the Official Journal of the European Union .
Article 4 General provisions
1. The annual financial statements shall constitute a composite whole and shall for all undertakings comprise, as a minimum, the balance sheet, the profit and loss account and the notes to the financial statements. Member States may require undertakings other than small undertakings to include other statements in the annual financial statements in addition to the documents referred to in the first subparagraph. 2. The annual financial statements shall be drawn up clearly and in accordance with the provisions of this Directive. 3. The annual financial statements shall give a true and fair view of the undertaking's assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss. Where the application of this Directive would not be sufficient to give a true and fair view of the undertaking's assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss, such additional information as is necessary to comply with that requirement shall be given in the notes to the financial statements. 4. Where in exceptional cases the application of a provision of this Directive is incompatible with the obligation laid down in paragraph 3, that provision shall be disapplied in order to give a true and fair view of the undertaking's assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss. The disapplication of any such provision shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements together with an explanation of the reasons for it and of its effect on the undertaking's assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss. The Member States may define the exceptional cases in question and lay down the relevant special rules which are to apply in those cases. 5. Member States may require undertakings other than small undertakings to disclose information in their annual financial statements which is additional to that required pursuant to this Directive. 6. By way of derogation from paragraph 5, Member States may require small undertakings to prepare, disclose and publish information in the financial statements which goes beyond the requirements of this Directive, provided that any such information is gathered under a single filing system and the disclosure requirement is contained in the national tax legislation for the strict purposes of tax collection. The information required in accordance with this paragraph shall be included in the relevant part of the financial statements. 7. Member States shall communicate to the Commission any additional information they require in accordance with paragraph 6 upon the transposition of this Directive and when they introduce new requirements in accordance with paragraph 6 in national law. 8. Member States using electronic solutions for filing and publishing annual financial statements shall ensure that small undertakings are not required to publish, in accordance with Chapter 7, the additional disclosures required by national tax legislation, as referred to in paragraph 6.
Article 5 General disclosure
The document containing the financial statements shall state the name of the undertaking and the information prescribed by points (a) and (b) of Article 5 of Directive 2009/101/EC.
Article 6 General financial reporting principles
1. Items presented in the annual and consolidated financial statements shall be recognised and measured in accordance with the following general principles: (a) the undertaking shall be presumed to be carrying on its business as a going concern; (b) accounting policies and measurement bases shall be applied consistently from one financial year to the next; (c) recognition and measurement shall be on a prudent basis, and in particular: (i) only profits made at the balance sheet date may be recognised, (ii) all liabilities arising in the course of the financial year concerned or in the course of a previous financial year shall be recognised, even if such liabilities become apparent only between the balance sheet date and the date on which the balance sheet is drawn up, and (iii) all negative value adjustments shall be recognised, whether the result of the financial year is a profit or a loss; (d) amounts recognised in the balance sheet and profit and loss account shall be computed on the accrual basis; (e) the opening balance sheet for each financial year shall correspond to the closing balance sheet for the preceding financial year; (f) the components of asset and liability items shall be valued separately; (g) any set-off between asset and liability items, or between income and expenditure items, shall be prohibited; (h) items in the profit and loss account and balance sheet shall be accounted for and presented having regard to the substance of the transaction or arrangement concerned; (i) items recognised in the financial statements shall be measured in accordance with the principle of purchase price or production cost; and (j) the requirements set out in this Directive regarding recognition, measurement, presentation, disclosure and consolidation need not be complied with when the effect of complying with them is immaterial. 2. Notwithstanding point (g) of paragraph 1, Member States may in specific cases permit or require undertakings to perform a set-off between asset and liability items, or between income and expenditure items, provided that the amounts which are set off are specified as gross amounts in the notes to the financial statements. 3. Member States may exempt undertakings from the requirements of point (h) of paragraph 1. 4. Member States may limit the scope of point (j) of paragraph 1 to presentation and disclosures. 5. In addition to those amounts recognised in accordance with point (c)(ii) of paragraph 1, Member States may permit or require the recognition of all foreseeable liabilities and potential losses arising in the course of the financial year concerned or in the course of a previous financial year, even if such liabilities or losses become apparent only between the balance sheet date and the date on which the balance sheet is drawn up.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL The proposal for a Council Directive adapting Directive 2013/34/EU is necessitated by the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union. The Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union[1] (hereinafter: “the Treaty of Accession”) was signed by all Member States of the European Union and the Republic of Croatia at Brussels on 9 December 2011. Article 3(3) of the Treaty of Accession provides that it shall enter into force on 1 July 2013 provided that all the instruments of ratification have been deposited before that date. Article 3(4) of the Treaty of Accession enables the institutions of the Union to adopt before accession measures referred to, inter alia, in Article 50 of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Croatia[2] (hereinafter: “the Act of Accession”). These measures shall enter into force only subject to and on the date of the entry into force of the Treaty of Accession. Article 50 of the Act of Accession provides that where acts of the institutions adopted prior to accession require adaptation by reason of accession, and the necessary adaptations have not been provided for in this Act of Accession or its Annexes, the Council or the Commission (if the original acts were adopted by the Commission) shall adopt the necessary acts. The Directive 2013/34/EU was adopted on 26 June 2013 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 29 June 2013. It does not include necessary references to the companies established in Croatia that should be within the scope of the Directive. Council Directive 2013/24/EU of 13 May 2013 adapting certain directives in the field of company law, by reason of the accession of the republic of Croatia adapted Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC, in order to add to the scope of those Directives the relevant list of Croatian limited liability companies. However, these directives were repealed when Directive 2013/34/EU entered into force in July 2103. Therefore it is necessary to take into account this evolution of the Union law and adapt Directive 2013/34/EU accordingly. The present proposal for a Council Directive covers the technical adaptations to Directive 2013/34/EU that are required by reason of the accession of Croatia.
Revised version (Article 6 General financial reporting principles):
1. Items presented in the annual and consolidated financial statements shall be recognised and measured in accordance with the following general principles: (a) the undertaking shall be presumed to be carrying on its business as a going concern; (b) accounting policies and measurement bases shall be applied consistently from one financial year to the next; (c) recognition and measurement shall be on a prudent basis, and in particular: (i) only profits made at the balance sheet date may be recognised, (ii) all liabilities arising in the course of the financial year concerned or in the course of a previous financial year shall be recognised, even if such liabilities become apparent only between the balance sheet date and the date on which the balance sheet is drawn up, and (iii) all negative value adjustments shall be recognised, whether the result of the financial year is a profit or a loss; (c) recognition and measurement shall be on a prudent basis, and in particular: (i) only profits made at the balance sheet date may be recognised, (ii) all liabilities arising in the course of the financial year concerned or in the course of a previous financial year shall be recognised, even if such liabilities become apparent only between the balance sheet date and the date on which the balance sheet is drawn up, and (iii) all negative value adjustments shall be recognised, whether the result of the financial year is a profit or a loss; (d) amounts recognised in the balance sheet and profit and loss account shall be computed on the accrual basis; (e) the opening balance sheet for each financial year shall correspond to the closing balance sheet for the preceding financial year; (f) the components of asset and liability items shall be valued separately; (g) any set-off between asset and liability items, or between income and expenditure items, shall be prohibited; (h) items in the profit and loss account and balance sheet shall be accounted for and presented having regard to the substance of the transaction or arrangement concerned; (i) items recognised in the financial statements shall be measured in accordance with the principle of purchase price or production cost; and (j) the requirements set out in this Directive regarding recognition, measurement, presentation, disclosure and consolidation need not be complied with when the effect of complying with them is immaterial. 2. Notwithstanding point (g) of paragraph 1, Member States may in specific cases permit or require undertakings to perform a set-off between asset and liability items, or between income and expenditure items, provided that the amounts which are set off are specified as gross amounts in the notes to the financial statements. 3. Member States may exempt undertakings from the requirements of point (h) of paragraph 1. 4. Member States may limit the scope of point (j) of paragraph 1 to presentation and disclosures. 5. In addition to those amounts recognised in accordance with point (c)(ii) of paragraph 1, Member States may permit or require the recognition of all foreseeable liabilities and potential losses arising in the course of the financial year concerned or in the course of a previous financial year, even if such liabilities or losses become apparent only between the balance sheet date and the date on which the balance sheet is drawn up.
Article 7 Alternative measurement basis of fixed assets at revalued amounts
1. By way of derogation from point (i) of Article 6(1), Member States may permit or require, in respect of all undertakings or any classes of undertaking, the measurement of fixed assets at revalued amounts. Where national law provides for the revaluation basis of measurement, it shall define its content and limits and the rules for its application. 2. Where paragraph 1 is applied, the amount of the difference between measurement on a purchase price or production cost basis and measurement on a revaluation basis shall be entered in the balance sheet in the revaluation reserve under ‧Capital and reserves‧. The revaluation reserve may be capitalised in whole or in part at any time. The revaluation reserve shall be reduced where the amounts transferred to that reserve are no longer necessary for the implementation of the revaluation basis of accounting. The Member States may lay down rules governing the application of the revaluation reserve, provided that transfers to the profit and loss account from the revaluation reserve may be made only where the amounts transferred have been entered as an expense in the profit and loss account or reflect increases in value which have actually been realised. No part of the revaluation reserve may be distributed, either directly or indirectly, unless it represents a gain actually realised. Save as provided under the second and third subparagraphs of this paragraph, the revaluation reserve may not be reduced. 3. Value adjustments shall be calculated each year on the basis of the revalued amount. However, by way of derogation from Articles 9 and 13, Member States may permit or require that only the amount of the value adjustments arising as a result of the purchase price or production cost measurement basis be shown under the relevant items in the layouts set out in Annexes V and VI and that the difference arising as a result of the measurement on a revaluation basis under this Article be shown separately in the layouts.
Article 8 Alternative measurement basis of fair value
1. By way of derogation from point (i) of Article 6(1) and subject to the conditions set out in this Article: (a) Member States shall permit or require, in respect of all undertakings or any classes of undertaking, the measurement of financial instruments, including derivative financial instruments, at fair value; and (b) Member States may permit or require, in respect of all undertakings or any classes of undertaking, the measurement of specified categories of assets other than financial instruments at amounts determined by reference to fair value. Such permission or requirement may be restricted to consolidated financial statements. 2. For the purpose of this Directive, commodity-based contracts that give either contracting party the right to settle in cash or some other financial instrument shall be considered to be derivative financial instruments, except where such contracts: (a) were entered into and continue to meet the undertaking's expected purchase, sale or usage requirements at the time they were entered into and subsequently; (b) were designated as commodity-based contracts at their inception; and (c) are expected to be settled by delivery of the commodity. 3. Point (a) of paragraph 1 shall apply only to the following liabilities: (a) liabilities held as part of a trading portfolio; and (b) derivative financial instruments. 4. Measurement according to point (a) of paragraph 1 shall not apply to the following: (a) non-derivative financial instruments held to maturity; (b) loans and receivables originated by the undertaking and not held for trading purposes; and (c) interests in subsidiaries, associated undertakings and joint ventures, equity instruments issued by the undertaking, contracts for contingent consideration in a business combination, and other financial instruments with such special characteristics that the instruments, according to what is generally accepted, are accounted for differently from other financial instruments. 5. By way of derogation from point (i) of Article 6(1), Member States may, in respect of any assets and liabilities which qualify as hedged items under a fair value hedge accounting system, or identified portions of such assets or liabilities, permit measurement at the specific amount required under that system. 6. By way of derogation from paragraphs 3 and 4, Member States may permit or require the recognition, measurement and disclosure of financial instruments in conformity with international accounting standards adopted in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002. 7. The fair value within the meaning of this Article shall be determined by reference to one of the following values: (a) in the case of financial instruments for which a reliable market can readily be identified, the market value. Where the market value is not readily identifiable for an instrument but can be identified for its components or for a similar instrument, the market value may be derived from that of its components or of the similar instrument; (b) in the case of financial instruments for which a reliable market cannot be readily identified, a value resulting from generally accepted valuation models and techniques, provided that such valuation models and techniques ensure a reasonable approximation of the market value. Financial instruments that cannot be measured reliably by any of the methods described in points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph shall be measured in accordance with the principle of purchase price or production cost in so far as measurement on that basis is possible. 8. Notwithstanding point (c) of Article 6(1), where a financial instrument is measured at fair value, a change in value shall be included in the profit and loss account, except in the following cases, where such a change shall be included directly in a fair value reserve: (a) the instrument accounted for is a hedging instrument under a system of hedge accounting that allows some or all of the change in value not to be shown in the profit and loss account; or (b) the change in value relates to an exchange difference arising on a monetary item that forms part of an undertaking's net investment in a foreign entity. Member States may permit or require a change in the value of an available for sale financial asset, other than a derivative financial instrument, to be included directly in a fair value reserve. That fair value reserve shall be adjusted when amounts shown therein are no longer necessary for the implementation of points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph. 9. Notwithstanding point (c) of Article 6(1), Member States may permit or require, in respect of all undertakings or any classes of undertaking, that, where assets other than financial instruments are measured at fair value, a change in the value be included in the profit and loss account.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal A healthy Single Market needs a fair, efficient and growth-friendly corporate tax system, based on the principle that companies should pay taxes in the country where profits are generated. Aggressive tax planning undermines this principle. The majority of companies do not engage in aggressive tax planning and suffer a competitive disadvantage to those that do. Small and medium-sized companies are particularly affected by this phenomenon. Fighting against tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning, both at EU a nd global level, is a political priority for the European Commission. As part of a broader strategy for a Fair and Efficient Corporate Tax System in the EU 1 , p ublic scrutiny can help to ensure that profits are effectively taxed where they are generated. Pu blic scrutiny can reinforce public trust and strengthen companies' corporate social responsibility by contributing to the welfare through paying taxes in the country where they are active. In addition, it can also promote a better informed debate on potent ial shortcomings in tax laws. The Commission announced in March 2015 a comprehensive list of initiatives in its Action Plan on a Fairer Corporate Tax System (COM(2015)302) and proposed as part of the subsequent Anti-Tax Avoidance Package 2 (ATAP), to implem ent in the Union Action 13 of the OECD Action Plan endorsed by the G20 to fight base erosion and profit shifting (hereafter, BEPS). As a result, tax authorities will receive a country-by-country report from multinational enterprises (MNEs) on income tax pa id which should enable better compliance with tax laws. Responding to the calls from the G20 and elsewhere, greater transparency on the side of companies is needed to enable public scrutiny of whether tax is paid where profits are produced. This proposal requires that MNEs disclose publicly in a specific report the income tax they pay together with other relevant tax-related information. MNEs, whether headquartered in the EU or outside, with turnover of more than EUR 750m will need to comply with these additional transparency requirements. For the first time, not only European businesses but also non-European multinational companies doing business in Europe will have the same reporting obligations. Third country jurisdictions which do not respect international tax good governance standards create particular opportunities for tax avoidance and tax evasion. If MNEs are active in such jurisdictions, special transparency requirements should apply. This proposal focusses on corporate groups with a worldwide con solidated net turnover of more than EUR 750 million, in line with the scope of global OECD initiatives on tax transparency. The proposal does not impose any obligations on small and medium-sized companies 3 . It is proportionate both in terms of scope and i nformation to be disclosed so as to limit compliance and other costs for affected companies, as well as to avoid jeopardising their competitiveness or expose them unduly to double taxation risks. It fits into the multilateral approach supported by the G20 and the OECD. The Commission will continue to work proactively on these issues with all relevant international partners.
Revised version (Article 8 Alternative measurement basis of fair value):
By way of derogation from point (i) of Article 6(1) and subject to the conditions set out in this Article: (a) Member States shall permit or require, in respect of all undertakings or any classes of undertaking, the measurement of financial instruments, including derivative financial instruments, at fair value; and (b) Member States may permit or require, in respect of all undertakings or any classes of undertaking, the measurement of specified categories of assets other than financial instruments at amounts determined by reference to fair value. Such permission or requirement may be restricted to consolidated financial statements. For the purpose of this Directive, commodity-based contracts that give either contracting party the right to settle in cash or some other financial instrument shall be considered to be derivative financial instruments, except where such contracts: (a) were entered into and continue to meet the undertaking's expected purchase, sale or usage requirements at the time they were entered into and subsequently; (b) were designated as commodity-based contracts at their inception; and (c) are expected to be settled by delivery of the commodity. 3. Point (a) of paragraph 1 shall apply only to the following liabilities: (a) liabilities held as part of a trading portfolio; and (b) derivative financial instruments. 4. Measurement according to point (a) of paragraph 1 shall not apply to the following: (a) non-derivative financial instruments held to maturity; (b) loans and receivables originated by the undertaking and not held for trading purposes; and (c) interests in subsidiaries, associated undertakings and joint ventures, equity instruments issued by the undertaking, contracts for contingent consideration in a business combination, and other financial instruments with such special characteristics that the instruments, according to what is generally accepted, are accounted for differently from other financial instruments. 5. By way of derogation from point (i) of Article 6(1), Member States may, in respect of any assets and liabilities which qualify as hedged items under a fair value hedge accounting system, or identified portions of such assets or liabilities, permit measurement at the specific amount required under that system. 6. By way of derogation from paragraphs 3 and 4, Member States may permit or require the recognition, measurement and disclosure of financial instruments in conformity with international accounting standards adopted in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1606/2002. 7. The fair value within the meaning of this Article shall be determined by reference to one of the following values: (a) in the case of financial instruments for which a reliable market can readily be identified, the market value. Where the market value is not readily identifiable for an instrument but can be identified for its components or for a similar instrument, the market value may be derived from that of its components or of the similar instrument; (b) in the case of financial instruments for which a reliable market cannot be readily identified, a value resulting from generally accepted valuation models and techniques, provided that such valuation models and techniques ensure a reasonable approximation of the market value. The fair value within the meaning of this Article shall be determined by reference to one of the following values: (a) in the case of financial instruments for which a reliable market can readily be identified, the market value. Where the market value is not readily identifiable for an instrument but can be identified for its components or for a similar instrument, the market value may be derived from that of its components or of the similar instrument; (b) in the case of financial instruments for which a reliable market cannot be readily identified, a value resulting from generally accepted valuation models and techniques, provided that such valuation models and techniques ensure a reasonable approximation of the market value. Financial instruments that cannot be measured reliably by any of the methods described in points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph shall be measured in accordance with the principle of purchase price or production cost in so far as measurement on that basis is possible. 8. Notwithstanding point (c) of Article 6(1), where a financial instrument is measured at fair value, a change in value shall be included in the profit and loss account, except in the following cases, where such a change shall be included directly in a fair value reserve: (a) the instrument accounted for is a hedging instrument under a system of hedge accounting that allows some or all of the change in value not to be shown in the profit and loss account; or (b) the change in value relates to an exchange difference arising on a monetary item that forms part of an undertaking's net investment in a foreign entity. Member States may permit or require a change in the value of an available for sale financial asset, other than a derivative financial instrument, to be included directly in a fair value reserve. That fair value reserve shall be adjusted when amounts shown therein are no longer necessary for the implementation of points (a) and (b) of the first subparagraph. 9. Notwithstanding point (c) of Article 6(1), Member States may permit or require, in respect of all undertakings or any classes of undertaking, that, where assets other than financial instruments are measured at fair value, a change in the value be included in the profit and loss account.
Article 9 General provisions concerning the balance sheet and the profit and loss account
1. The layout of the balance sheet and of the profit and loss account shall not be changed from one financial year to the next. Departures from that principle shall, however, be permitted in exceptional cases in order to give a true and fair view of the undertaking's assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss. Any such departure and the reasons therefor shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. 2. In the balance sheet and in the profit and loss account the items set out in Annexes III to VI shall be shown separately in the order indicated. Member States shall permit a more detailed subdivision of those items, subject to adherence to the prescribed layouts. Member States shall permit the addition of subtotals and of new items, provided that the contents of such new items are not covered by any of the items in the prescribed layouts. Member States may require such subdivision or subtotals or new items. 3. The layout, nomenclature and terminology of items in the balance sheet and profit and loss account that are preceded by arabic numerals shall be adapted where the special nature of an undertaking so requires. Member States may require such adaptations for undertakings which form part of a particular economic sector. Member States may permit or require balance sheet and profit and loss account items that are preceded by arabic numerals to be combined where they are immaterial in amount for the purposes of giving a true and fair view of the undertaking's assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss or where such combination makes for greater clarity, provided that the items so combined are dealt with separately in the notes to the financial statements. 4. By way of derogation from paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article, Member States may limit the undertaking's ability to depart from the layouts set out in Annexes III to VI to the extent that this is necessary in order for the financial statements to be filed electronically. 5. In respect of each balance sheet and profit and loss account item, the figure for the financial year to which the balance sheet and the profit and loss account relate and the figure relating to the corresponding item for the preceding financial year shall be shown. Where those figures are not comparable, Member States may require the figure for the preceding financial year to be adjusted. Any case of non-comparability or any adjustment of the figures shall be disclosed, with explanations, in the notes to the financial statements. 6. Member States may permit or require adaptation of the layout of the balance sheet and profit and loss account in order to include the appropriation of profit or the treatment of loss. 7. In respect of the treatment of participating interests in annual financial statements: (a) Member States may permit or require participating interests to be accounted for using the equity method as provided for in Article 27, taking account of the essential adjustments resulting from the particular characteristics of annual financial statements as compared to consolidated financial statements; (b) Member States may permit or require that the proportion of the profit or loss attributable to the participating interest be recognised in the profit and loss account only to the extent of the amount corresponding to dividends already received or the payment of which can be claimed; and (c) where the profit attributable to the participating interest and recognised in the profit and loss account exceeds the amount of dividends already received or the payment of which can be claimed, the amount of the difference shall be placed in a reserve which cannot be distributed to shareholders.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal The Non-Financial Reporting Directive (Directive 2014/95/EU, the NFRD), amending the Accounting Directive, was adopted in 2014. 1 Companies within the scope of the NFRD had to report in accordance with its provisions for the first time in 2018 (covering financial year 2017). The NFRD applies to large public-interest entities with an average number of employees in excess of 500, and to public-interest entities that are parent companies of a large group with an average number of employees in excess of 500 on a consolidated basis. 2 The NFRD exempts subsidiaries from its reporting obligations if their parent company does the reporting for the whole group, including the subsidiaries. Approximately 11 700 companies are subject to the reporting requirements of the NFRD 3 . The NFRD introduced a requirement for companies to report both on how sustainability issues affect their performance, position and development (the ‘outside-in’ perspective), and on their impact on people and the environment (the ‘inside-out’ perspective). This is often known as ‘double materiality’. In accordance with the NFRD, in 2017 the Commission published non-binding reporting guidelines for companies. 4 In 2019, it published additional guidelines, on reporting climate-related information. 5 These guidelines have not sufficiently improved the quality of information companies disclose pursuant to the NFRD. The European Commission committed itself to proposing a revision of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive in the European Green Deal and its 2020 Work Programme. 6 The European Green Deal aims to transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy with no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. 7 It will decouple economic growth from resource use, and ensure that all EU regions and citizens participate in a socially just transition to a sustainable economic system. It also aims to protect, conserve and enhance the EU's natural capital, and to protect the health and well-being of citizens from environment-related risks and impacts. The revision of the NFRD will contribute to the objective of building an economy that works for people. It will strengthen the EU’s social market economy, helping to ensure that it is future-ready and that it delivers stability, jobs, growth and investment. These goals are especially important considering the socio-economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for a sustainable, inclusive and fair recovery. In line with the Commission’s Sustainable Finance Action Plan, the EU has taken a number of measures to ensure that the financial sector plays a significant part in achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal 8 . Better data from companies about the sustainability risks they are exposed to, and their own impact on people and the environment, is essential for the successful implementation of the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Finance Action Plan. By making companies more accountable for and transparent about their impact on people and the environment, this proposal can also help strengthen relations between business and society. It will also create opportunities for companies , investors, civil society and other stakeholders to radically improve the way sustainability information is reported and used thanks to digital technologies. In December 2019, in its conclusions on the Capital Markets Union, the Council stressed the importance of reliable, comparable and relevant information on sustainability risks, opportunities and impacts, and called on the Commission to consider the development of a European non-financial reporting standard 9 . In its May 2018 resolution on sustainable finance, the European Parliament called for the further development of reporting requirements in the framework of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD). 10 In its December 2020 resolution on sustainable corporate governance, it welcomed the Commission’s commitment to reviewing the NFRD, called for an extension of the scope of the NFRD to additional categories of companies , and welcomed the Commission’s commitment to developing EU non-financial reporting standards 11 . The European Parliament also considered that non-financial information published by companies pursuant to the NFRD should be subject to a mandatory audit. The primary users of sustainability information disclosed in companies’ annual reports are investors and non-governmental organisations, social partners and other stakeholders. Investors, including asset managers, want to better understand the risks of, and opportunities afforded by, sustainability issues for their investments, as well as the impacts of those investments on people and the environment. Non-governmental organisations, social partners and other stakeholders want to hold undertakings to greater account for their impacts of their activities on people and the environment. The current legal framework does not ensure that the information needs of these users are met. This is because some companies from which users want sustainability information do not report such information, while many that do report sustainability information do not report all the information that is relevant for users. When information is reported, it is often neither sufficiently reliable, nor sufficiently comparable, between companies. The information is often difficult for users to find and is rarely available in a machine-readable digital format. Information on intangibles, including internally generated intangibles, is under-reported, even though these intangibles represent the majority of private sector investment in advanced economies (e.g. human capital, brand, and intellectual property and intangibles related to research and development). The information needs of users have increased significantly in recent years and will almost certainly continue to do so. There are several reasons for this. One is the growing awareness of investors that sustainability issues can put the financial performance of companies at risk . Another is the growing market for investment products that explicitly seek to conform to certain sustainability standards or achieve certain sustainability objectives. Yet another is regulation, including the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation and the Taxonomy Regulation. As a result of both these regulations, asset managers and financial advisers need more sustainability information from investee companies 12 . Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to further accelerate the growth in demand for sustainability information from companies , for example regarding the vulnerability of workers and the resilience of supply chains. There is therefore a widening gap between the sustainability information companies report and the needs of the intended users of that information. On the one hand, this means that investors are unable to take sufficient account of sustainability-related risks in their investment decisions. This in turn has the potential to create systemic risks that threaten financial stability. On the other hand, the gap means that investors cannot channel financial resources to companies with sustainable business models and activities. This in turn undermines the achievement of the objectives of the European Green Deal. It also hampers stakeholders’ ability to hold undertakings accountable for the impact they have on people and the environment, creating an accountability deficit liable to undermine the efficient functioning of the social market economy. The current situation is also problematic for companies that have to report. The lack of precision in the current requirements, and the large number of private standards and frameworks in existence, make it difficult for companies to know exactly what information they should report. They often experience difficulties in getting the information they themselves need from suppliers, clients and investee companies. Many companies receive requests for sustainability information from stakeholders in addition to the information they report to comply with current legal requirements. All of this generates unnecessary business costs. The objective of this proposal is therefore to improve sustainability reporting at the least possible cost, in order to better harness the potential of the European single market to contribute to the transition towards a fully sustainable and inclusive economic and financial system in accordance with the European Green Deal and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The proposal aims to ensure that there is adequate publicly available information about the risks that sustainability issues present for companies, and the impacts of companies themselves on people and the environment. This means that companies from which users need sustainability information should report such information, and that companies should report all information users consider relevant. Reported information should be comparable, reliable and easy for users to find and make use of with digital technologies. This entails changing the status of sustainability information to make it more comparable to that of financial information. The proposal will help reduce systemic risks to the economy. It will also improve the allocation of financial capital to companies and activities that address social, health and environmental problems. Finally, it will make companies more accountable for their impacts on people and the environment, thereby building trust between them and society. The proposal aims to reduce unnecessary costs of sustainability reporting for companies, and to enable them to meet the growing demand for sustainability information in an efficient manner. It will bring clarity and certainty on what sustainability information to report, and make it easier for preparers to get the information they need for reporting purposes from their own business partners (suppliers, clients and investee companies). It should also reduce the number of demands companies receive for sustainability information in addition to the information they publish in their annual reports. There are a number of important international initiatives in place. Their aim is to help to achieve the worldwide convergence and harmonisation of sustainability reporting standards. The EU fully supports this ambition. EU companies and investors that operate globally will benefit from such convergence and harmonisation. The Commission supports initiatives by the G20, the G7, the Financial Stability Board and others to generate international commitment to develop a baseline of global sustainability reporting standards that would build on the work of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. The proposals of the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation to create a new Sustainability Standards Board are especially relevant in this context, as is the work already carried out by established initiatives including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) and CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project). This proposal aims to build on and contribute to international sustainability reporting initiatives. EU sustainability reporting standards should be developed in constructive two-way cooperation with leading international initiatives, and they should align with those initiatives as far as possible while taking into account European specificities. This proposal consists of one Directive that would amend four existing pieces of legislation. In the first place, it would amend the Accounting Directive, revising some exiting provisions and adding certain new provisions about sustainability reporting. In addition, it would amend the Audit Directive and the Audit Regulation, to cover the audit of sustainability information. Finally, it would amend the Transparency Directive to extend the scope of the sustainability reporting requirements to companies with securities listed on regulated markets, and to clarify the supervisory regime for sustainability reporting by these companies.
Revised version (Article 9 General provisions concerning the balance sheet and the profit and loss account):
1. The layout of the balance sheet and of the profit and loss account shall not be changed from one financial year to the next. Departures from that principle shall, however, be permitted in exceptional cases in order to give a true and fair view of the undertaking's assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss. Any such departure and the reasons therefor shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. 2. In the balance sheet and in the profit and loss account the items set out in Annexes III to VI shall be shown separately in the order indicated. Member States shall permit a more detailed subdivision of those items, subject to adherence to the prescribed layouts. Member States shall permit the addition of subtotals and of new items, provided that the contents of such new items are not covered by any of the items in the prescribed layouts. Member States may require such subdivision or subtotals or new items. 3. The layout, nomenclature and terminology of items in the balance sheet and profit and loss account that are preceded by arabic numerals shall be adapted where the special nature of an undertaking so requires. Member States may require such adaptations for undertakings which form part of a particular economic sector. Member States may permit or require balance sheet and profit and loss account items that are preceded by arabic numerals to be combined where they are immaterial in amount for the purposes of giving a true and fair view of the undertaking's assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss or where such combination makes for greater clarity, provided that the items so combined are dealt with separately in the notes to the financial statements. 4. By way of derogation from paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article, Member States may limit the undertaking's ability to depart from the layouts set out in Annexes III to VI to the extent that this is necessary in order for the financial statements to be filed electronically. 5. In respect of each balance sheet and profit and loss account item, the figure for the financial year to which the balance sheet and the profit and loss account relate and the figure relating to the corresponding item for the preceding financial year shall be shown. Where those figures are not comparable, Member States may require the figure for the preceding financial year to be adjusted. Any case of non-comparability or any adjustment of the figures shall be disclosed, with explanations, in the notes to the financial statements. 6. Member States may permit or require adaptation of the layout of the balance sheet and profit and loss account in order to include the appropriation of profit or the treatment of loss.
Article 10 Presentation of the balance sheet
For the presentation of the balance sheet, Member States shall prescribe one or both of the layouts set out in Annexes III and IV. If a Member State prescribes both layouts, it shall permit undertakings to choose which of the prescribed layouts to adopt.
Article 11 Alternative presentation of the balance sheet
Member States may permit or require undertakings, or certain classes of undertaking, to present items on the basis of a distinction between current and non-current items in a different layout from that set out in Annexes III and IV, provided that the information given is at least equivalent to that otherwise to be provided in accordance with Annexes III and IV.
Article 12 Special provisions relating to certain balance sheet items
1. Where an asset or liability relates to more than one layout item, its relationship to other items shall be disclosed either under the item where it appears or in the notes to the financial statements. 2. Own shares and shares in affiliated undertakings shall be shown only under the items prescribed for that purpose. 3. Whether particular assets are to be shown as fixed assets or current assets shall depend upon the purpose for which they are intended. 4. Rights to immovables and other similar rights as defined by national law shall be shown under ‧Land and buildings‧. 5. The purchase price or production cost or revalued amount, where Article 7(1) applies, of fixed assets with limited useful economic lives shall be reduced by value adjustments calculated to write off the value of such assets systematically over their useful economic lives. 6. Value adjustments to fixed assets shall be subject to the following: (a) Member States may permit or require value adjustments to be made in respect of financial fixed assets, so that they are valued at the lower figure to be attributed to them at the balance sheet date; (b) value adjustments shall be made in respect of fixed assets, whether their useful economic lives are limited or not, so that they are valued at the lower figure to be attributed to them at the balance sheet date if it is expected that the reduction in their value will be permanent; (c) the value adjustments referred to in points (a) and (b) shall be charged to the profit and loss account and disclosed separately in the notes to the financial statements if they have not been shown separately in the profit and loss account; (d) measurement at the lower of the values provided for in points (a) and (b) may not continue if the reasons for which the value adjustments were made have ceased to apply; this provision shall not apply to value adjustments made in respect of goodwill. 7. Value adjustments shall be made in respect of current assets with a view to showing them at the lower market value or, in particular circumstances, another lower value to be attributed to them at the balance sheet date. Measurement at the lower value provided for in the first subparagraph may not continue if the reasons for which the value adjustments were made no longer apply. 8. Member States may permit or require that interest on capital borrowed to finance the production of fixed or current assets be included within production costs, to the extent that it relates to the period of production. Any application of this provision shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. 9. Member States may permit the purchase price or production cost of stocks of goods of the same category and all fungible items including investments to be calculated either on the basis of weighted average prices, on the basis of the ‧first in, first out‧ (FIFO) method, the ‧last in, first out‧ (LIFO) method, or a method reflecting generally accepted best practice. 10. Where the amount repayable on account of any debt is greater than the amount received, Member States may permit or require that the difference be shown as an asset. It shall be shown separately in the balance sheet or in the notes to the financial statements. The amount of that difference shall be written off by a reasonable amount each year and completely written off no later than at the time of repayment of the debt. 11. Intangible assets shall be written off over the useful economic life of the intangible asset. In exceptional cases where the useful life of goodwill and development costs cannot be reliably estimated, such assets shall be written off within a maximum period set by the Member State. That maximum period shall not be shorter than five years and shall not exceed 10 years. An explanation of the period over which goodwill is written off shall be provided within the notes to the financial statements. Where national law authorises the inclusion of costs of development under ‧Assets‧ and the costs of development have not been completely written off, Member States shall require that no distribution of profits take place unless the amount of the reserves available for distribution and profits brought forward is at least equal to that of the costs not written off. Where national law authorises the inclusion of formation expenses under ‧Assets‧, they shall be written off within a period of maximum five years. In that case, Member States shall require that the third subparagraph apply mutatis mutandis to formation expenses. In exceptional cases, the Member States may permit derogations from the third and fourth subparagraphs. Such derogations and the reasons therefor shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. 12. Provisions shall cover liabilities the nature of which is clearly defined and which at the balance sheet date are either likely to be incurred or certain to be incurred, but uncertain as to their amount or as to the date on which they will arise. The Member States may also authorise the creation of provisions intended to cover expenses the nature of which is clearly defined and which at the balance sheet date are either likely to be incurred or certain to be incurred, but uncertain as to their amount or as to the date on which they will arise. At the balance sheet date, a provision shall represent the best estimate of the expenses likely to be incurred or, in the case of a liability, of the amount required to meet that liability. Provisions shall not be used to adjust the values of assets.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal The Non-Financial Reporting Directive (Directive 2014/95/EU, the NFRD), amending the Accounting Directive, was adopted in 2014. 1 Companies within the scope of the NFRD had to report in accordance with its provisions for the first time in 2018 (covering financial year 2017). The NFRD applies to large public-interest entities with an average number of employees in excess of 500, and to public-interest entities that are parent companies of a large group with an average number of employees in excess of 500 on a consolidated basis. 2 The NFRD exempts subsidiaries from its reporting obligations if their parent company does the reporting for the whole group, including the subsidiaries. Approximately 11 700 companies are subject to the reporting requirements of the NFRD 3 . The NFRD introduced a requirement for companies to report both on how sustainability issues affect their performance, position and development (the ‘outside-in’ perspective), and on their impact on people and the environment (the ‘inside-out’ perspective). This is often known as ‘double materiality’. In accordance with the NFRD, in 2017 the Commission published non-binding reporting guidelines for companies. 4 In 2019, it published additional guidelines, on reporting climate-related information. 5 These guidelines have not sufficiently improved the quality of information companies disclose pursuant to the NFRD. The European Commission committed itself to proposing a revision of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive in the European Green Deal and its 2020 Work Programme. 6 The European Green Deal aims to transform the EU into a modern, resource-efficient and competitive economy with no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050. 7 It will decouple economic growth from resource use, and ensure that all EU regions and citizens participate in a socially just transition to a sustainable economic system. It also aims to protect, conserve and enhance the EU's natural capital, and to protect the health and well-being of citizens from environment-related risks and impacts. The revision of the NFRD will contribute to the objective of building an economy that works for people. It will strengthen the EU’s social market economy, helping to ensure that it is future-ready and that it delivers stability, jobs, growth and investment. These goals are especially important considering the socio-economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for a sustainable, inclusive and fair recovery. In line with the Commission’s Sustainable Finance Action Plan, the EU has taken a number of measures to ensure that the financial sector plays a significant part in achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal 8 . Better data from companies about the sustainability risks they are exposed to, and their own impact on people and the environment, is essential for the successful implementation of the European Green Deal and the Sustainable Finance Action Plan. By making companies more accountable for and transparent about their impact on people and the environment, this proposal can also help strengthen relations between business and society. It will also create opportunities for companies , investors, civil society and other stakeholders to radically improve the way sustainability information is reported and used thanks to digital technologies. In December 2019, in its conclusions on the Capital Markets Union, the Council stressed the importance of reliable, comparable and relevant information on sustainability risks, opportunities and impacts, and called on the Commission to consider the development of a European non-financial reporting standard 9 . In its May 2018 resolution on sustainable finance, the European Parliament called for the further development of reporting requirements in the framework of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD). 10 In its December 2020 resolution on sustainable corporate governance, it welcomed the Commission’s commitment to reviewing the NFRD, called for an extension of the scope of the NFRD to additional categories of companies , and welcomed the Commission’s commitment to developing EU non-financial reporting standards 11 . The European Parliament also considered that non-financial information published by companies pursuant to the NFRD should be subject to a mandatory audit. The primary users of sustainability information disclosed in companies’ annual reports are investors and non-governmental organisations, social partners and other stakeholders. Investors, including asset managers, want to better understand the risks of, and opportunities afforded by, sustainability issues for their investments, as well as the impacts of those investments on people and the environment. Non-governmental organisations, social partners and other stakeholders want to hold undertakings to greater account for their impacts of their activities on people and the environment. The current legal framework does not ensure that the information needs of these users are met. This is because some companies from which users want sustainability information do not report such information, while many that do report sustainability information do not report all the information that is relevant for users. When information is reported, it is often neither sufficiently reliable, nor sufficiently comparable, between companies. The information is often difficult for users to find and is rarely available in a machine-readable digital format. Information on intangibles, including internally generated intangibles, is under-reported, even though these intangibles represent the majority of private sector investment in advanced economies (e.g. human capital, brand, and intellectual property and intangibles related to research and development). The information needs of users have increased significantly in recent years and will almost certainly continue to do so. There are several reasons for this. One is the growing awareness of investors that sustainability issues can put the financial performance of companies at risk . Another is the growing market for investment products that explicitly seek to conform to certain sustainability standards or achieve certain sustainability objectives. Yet another is regulation, including the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation and the Taxonomy Regulation. As a result of both these regulations, asset managers and financial advisers need more sustainability information from investee companies 12 . Finally, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to further accelerate the growth in demand for sustainability information from companies , for example regarding the vulnerability of workers and the resilience of supply chains. There is therefore a widening gap between the sustainability information companies report and the needs of the intended users of that information. On the one hand, this means that investors are unable to take sufficient account of sustainability-related risks in their investment decisions. This in turn has the potential to create systemic risks that threaten financial stability. On the other hand, the gap means that investors cannot channel financial resources to companies with sustainable business models and activities. This in turn undermines the achievement of the objectives of the European Green Deal. It also hampers stakeholders’ ability to hold undertakings accountable for the impact they have on people and the environment, creating an accountability deficit liable to undermine the efficient functioning of the social market economy. The current situation is also problematic for companies that have to report. The lack of precision in the current requirements, and the large number of private standards and frameworks in existence, make it difficult for companies to know exactly what information they should report. They often experience difficulties in getting the information they themselves need from suppliers, clients and investee companies. Many companies receive requests for sustainability information from stakeholders in addition to the information they report to comply with current legal requirements. All of this generates unnecessary business costs. The objective of this proposal is therefore to improve sustainability reporting at the least possible cost, in order to better harness the potential of the European single market to contribute to the transition towards a fully sustainable and inclusive economic and financial system in accordance with the European Green Deal and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The proposal aims to ensure that there is adequate publicly available information about the risks that sustainability issues present for companies, and the impacts of companies themselves on people and the environment. This means that companies from which users need sustainability information should report such information, and that companies should report all information users consider relevant. Reported information should be comparable, reliable and easy for users to find and make use of with digital technologies. This entails changing the status of sustainability information to make it more comparable to that of financial information. The proposal will help reduce systemic risks to the economy. It will also improve the allocation of financial capital to companies and activities that address social, health and environmental problems. Finally, it will make companies more accountable for their impacts on people and the environment, thereby building trust between them and society. The proposal aims to reduce unnecessary costs of sustainability reporting for companies, and to enable them to meet the growing demand for sustainability information in an efficient manner. It will bring clarity and certainty on what sustainability information to report, and make it easier for preparers to get the information they need for reporting purposes from their own business partners (suppliers, clients and investee companies). It should also reduce the number of demands companies receive for sustainability information in addition to the information they publish in their annual reports. There are a number of important international initiatives in place. Their aim is to help to achieve the worldwide convergence and harmonisation of sustainability reporting standards. The EU fully supports this ambition. EU companies and investors that operate globally will benefit from such convergence and harmonisation. The Commission supports initiatives by the G20, the G7, the Financial Stability Board and others to generate international commitment to develop a baseline of global sustainability reporting standards that would build on the work of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. The proposals of the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation to create a new Sustainability Standards Board are especially relevant in this context, as is the work already carried out by established initiatives including the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB), the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC), the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB) and CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project). This proposal aims to build on and contribute to international sustainability reporting initiatives. EU sustainability reporting standards should be developed in constructive two-way cooperation with leading international initiatives, and they should align with those initiatives as far as possible while taking into account European specificities. This proposal consists of one Directive that would amend four existing pieces of legislation. In the first place, it would amend the Accounting Directive, revising some exiting provisions and adding certain new provisions about sustainability reporting. In addition, it would amend the Audit Directive and the Audit Regulation, to cover the audit of sustainability information. Finally, it would amend the Transparency Directive to extend the scope of the sustainability reporting requirements to companies with securities listed on regulated markets, and to clarify the supervisory regime for sustainability reporting by these companies.
Revised version (Article 12 Special provisions relating to certain balance sheet items):
1. Where an asset or liability relates to more than one layout item, its relationship to other items shall be disclosed either under the item where it appears or in the notes to the financial statements. 2. Own shares and shares in affiliated undertakings shall be shown only under the items prescribed for that purpose. 3. Whether particular assets are to be shown as fixed assets or current assets shall depend upon the purpose for which they are intended. 4. Rights to immovables and other similar rights as defined by national law shall be shown under ‘Land and buildings’. 5. The purchase price or production cost or revalued amount, where Article 7(1) applies, of fixed assets with limited useful economic lives shall be reduced by value adjustments calculated to write off the value of such assets systematically over their useful economic lives. 7. Value adjustments shall be made in respect of current assets with a view to showing them at the lower market value or, in particular circumstances, another lower value to be attributed to them at the balance sheet date. Measurement at the lower value provided for in the first subparagraph may not continue if the reasons for which the value adjustments were made no longer apply. 8. Member States may permit or require that interest on capital borrowed to finance the production of fixed or current assets be included within production costs, to the extent that it relates to the period of production. Any application of this provision shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. 9. Member States may permit the purchase price or production cost of stocks of goods of the same category and all fungible items including investments to be calculated either on the basis of weighted average prices, on the basis of the ‘first in, first out’ (FIFO) method, the ‘last in, first out’ (LIFO) method, or a method reflecting generally accepted best practice. 10. Where the amount repayable on account of any debt is greater than the amount received, Member States may permit or require that the difference be shown as an asset. It shall be shown separately in the balance sheet or in the notes to the financial statements. The amount of that difference shall be written off by a reasonable amount each year and completely written off no later than at the time of repayment of the debt. 11. Intangible assets shall be written off over the useful economic life of the intangible asset. In exceptional cases where the useful life of goodwill and development costs cannot be reliably estimated, such assets shall be written off within a maximum period set by the Member State. That maximum period shall not be shorter than five years and shall not exceed 10 years. An explanation of the period over which goodwill is written off shall be provided within the notes to the financial statements. Where national law authorises the inclusion of costs of development under ‘Assets’ and the costs of development have not been completely written off, Member States shall require that no distribution of profits take place unless the amount of the reserves available for distribution and profits brought forward is at least equal to that of the costs not written off. Where national law authorises the inclusion of formation expenses under ‘Assets’, they shall be written off within a period of maximum five years. In that case, Member States shall require that the third subparagraph apply mutatis mutandis to formation expenses. In exceptional cases, the Member States may permit derogations from the third and fourth subparagraphs. Such derogations and the reasons therefor shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. 12. Provisions shall cover liabilities the nature of which is clearly defined and which at the balance sheet date are either likely to be incurred or certain to be incurred, but uncertain as to their amount or as to the date on which they will arise. The Member States may also authorise the creation of provisions intended to cover expenses the nature of which is clearly defined and which at the balance sheet date are either likely to be incurred or certain to be incurred, but uncertain as to their amount or as to the date on which they will arise. At the balance sheet date, a provision shall represent the best estimate of the expenses likely to be incurred or, in the case of a liability, of the amount required to meet that liability. Provisions shall not be used to adjust the values of assets.
Article 13 Presentation of the profit and loss account
1. For the presentation of the profit and loss account, Member States shall prescribe one or both of the layouts set out in Annexes V and VI. If a Member State prescribes both layouts, it may permit undertakings to choose which of the prescribed layouts to adopt. 2. By way of derogation from Article 4(1), Member States may permit or require all undertakings, or any classes of undertaking, to present a statement of their performance instead of the presentation of profit and loss items in accordance with Annexes V and VI, provided that the information given is at least equivalent to that otherwise required by Annexes V and VI.
Article 14 Simplifications for small and medium-sized undertakings
1. Member States may permit small undertakings to draw up abridged balance sheets showing only those items in Annexes III and IV preceded by letters and roman numerals, disclosing separately: (a) the information required in brackets in D (II) under ‧Assets‧ and C under ‧Capital, reserves and liabilities‧ of Annex III, but in the aggregate for each; or (b) the information required in brackets in D (II) of Annex IV. 2. Member States may permit small and medium-sized undertakings to draw up abridged profit and loss accounts within the following limits: (a) in Annex V, items 1 to 5 may be combined under one item called ‧Gross profit or loss‧; (b) in Annex VI, items 1, 2, 3 and 6 may be combined under one item called ‧Gross profit or loss‧.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal A healthy Single Market needs a fair, efficient and growth-friendly corporate tax system, based on the principle that companies should pay taxes in the country where profits are generated. Aggressive tax planning undermines this principle. The majority of companies do not engage in aggressive tax planning and suffer a competitive disadvantage to those that do. Small and medium-sized companies are particularly affected by this phenomenon. Fighting against tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning, both at EU a nd global level, is a political priority for the European Commission. As part of a broader strategy for a Fair and Efficient Corporate Tax System in the EU 1 , p ublic scrutiny can help to ensure that profits are effectively taxed where they are generated. Pu blic scrutiny can reinforce public trust and strengthen companies' corporate social responsibility by contributing to the welfare through paying taxes in the country where they are active. In addition, it can also promote a better informed debate on potent ial shortcomings in tax laws. The Commission announced in March 2015 a comprehensive list of initiatives in its Action Plan on a Fairer Corporate Tax System (COM(2015)302) and proposed as part of the subsequent Anti-Tax Avoidance Package 2 (ATAP), to implem ent in the Union Action 13 of the OECD Action Plan endorsed by the G20 to fight base erosion and profit shifting (hereafter, BEPS). As a result, tax authorities will receive a country-by-country report from multinational enterprises (MNEs) on income tax pa id which should enable better compliance with tax laws. Responding to the calls from the G20 and elsewhere, greater transparency on the side of companies is needed to enable public scrutiny of whether tax is paid where profits are produced. This proposal requires that MNEs disclose publicly in a specific report the income tax they pay together with other relevant tax-related information. MNEs, whether headquartered in the EU or outside, with turnover of more than EUR 750m will need to comply with these additional transparency requirements. For the first time, not only European businesses but also non-European multinational companies doing business in Europe will have the same reporting obligations. Third country jurisdictions which do not respect international tax good governance standards create particular opportunities for tax avoidance and tax evasion. If MNEs are active in such jurisdictions, special transparency requirements should apply. This proposal focusses on corporate groups with a worldwide con solidated net turnover of more than EUR 750 million, in line with the scope of global OECD initiatives on tax transparency. The proposal does not impose any obligations on small and medium-sized companies 3 . It is proportionate both in terms of scope and i nformation to be disclosed so as to limit compliance and other costs for affected companies, as well as to avoid jeopardising their competitiveness or expose them unduly to double taxation risks. It fits into the multilateral approach supported by the G20 and the OECD. The Commission will continue to work proactively on these issues with all relevant international partners.
Revised version (Article 14 Simplifications for small and medium-sized undertakings):
1. Member States may permit small undertakings to draw up abridged balance sheets showing only those items in Annexes III and IV preceded by letters and roman numerals, disclosing separately: (a) the information required in brackets in D (II) under ‘Assets’ and C under ‘Capital, reserves and liabilities’ of Annex III, but in the aggregate for each; or (b) the information required in brackets in D (II) of Annex IV. 2. Member States may permit small and medium-sized undertakings to draw up abridged profit and loss accounts within the following limits: (a) in Annex V, items 1 to 5 may be combined under one item called ‘Gross profit or loss’; (b) in Annex VI, items 1, 2, 3 and 6 may be combined under one item called ‘Gross profit or loss’. Member States may permit small and medium-sized undertakings to draw up abridged profit and loss accounts within the following limits: (a) in Annex V, items 1 to 5 may be combined under one item called ‘Gross profit or loss’; (b) in Annex VI, items 1, 2, 3 and 6 may be combined under one item called ‘Gross profit or loss’.
Article 15 General provisions concerning the notes to the financial statements
Where notes to the balance sheet and profit and loss account are presented in accordance with this Chapter, the notes shall be presented in the order in which items are presented in the balance sheet and in the profit and loss account.
Article 16 Content of the notes to the financial statements relating to all undertakings
1. In the notes to the financial statements all undertakings shall, in addition to the information required under other provisions of this Directive, disclose information in respect of the following: (a) accounting policies adopted; (b) where fixed assets are measured at revalued amounts, a table showing: (i) movements in the revaluation reserve in the financial year, with an explanation of the tax treatment of items therein, and (ii) the carrying amount in the balance sheet that would have been recognised had the fixed assets not been revalued; (c) where financial instruments and/or assets other than financial instruments are measured at fair value: (i) the significant assumptions underlying the valuation models and techniques where fair values have been determined in accordance with point (b) of Article 8(7), (ii) for each category of financial instrument or asset other than financial instruments, the fair value, the changes in value included directly in the profit and loss account and changes included in fair value reserves, (iii) for each class of derivative financial instrument, information about the extent and the nature of the instruments, including significant terms and conditions that may affect the amount, timing and certainty of future cash flows, and (iv) a table showing movements in fair value reserves during the financial year; (d) the total amount of any financial commitments, guarantees or contingencies that are not included in the balance sheet, and an indication of the nature and form of any valuable security which has been provided; any commitments concerning pensions and affiliated or associated undertakings shall be disclosed separately; (e) the amount of advances and credits granted to members of the administrative, managerial and supervisory bodies, with indications of the interest rates, main conditions and any amounts repaid or written off or waived, as well as commitments entered into on their behalf by way of guarantees of any kind, with an indication of the total for each category; (f) the amount and nature of individual items of income or expenditure which are of exceptional size or incidence; (g) amounts owed by the undertaking becoming due and payable after more than five years, as well as the undertaking's entire debts covered by valuable security furnished by the undertaking, with an indication of the nature and form of the security; and (h) the average number of employees during the financial year. 2. Member States may require mutatis mutandis that small undertakings are to disclose information as required in points (a), (m), (p), (q) and (r) of Article 17(1). For the purposes of applying the first subparagraph, the information required in point (p) of Article 17(1) shall be limited to the nature and business purpose of the arrangements referred to in that point. For the purposes of applying the first subparagraph, the disclosure of the information required in point (r) of Article 17(1) shall be limited to transactions entered into with the parties listed in the fourth subparagraph of that point. 3. Member States shall not require disclosure for small undertakings beyond what is required or permitted by this Article.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL The proposal for a Council Directive adapting Directive 2013/34/EU is necessitated by the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union. The Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union[1] (hereinafter: “the Treaty of Accession”) was signed by all Member States of the European Union and the Republic of Croatia at Brussels on 9 December 2011. Article 3(3) of the Treaty of Accession provides that it shall enter into force on 1 July 2013 provided that all the instruments of ratification have been deposited before that date. Article 3(4) of the Treaty of Accession enables the institutions of the Union to adopt before accession measures referred to, inter alia, in Article 50 of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Croatia[2] (hereinafter: “the Act of Accession”). These measures shall enter into force only subject to and on the date of the entry into force of the Treaty of Accession. Article 50 of the Act of Accession provides that where acts of the institutions adopted prior to accession require adaptation by reason of accession, and the necessary adaptations have not been provided for in this Act of Accession or its Annexes, the Council or the Commission (if the original acts were adopted by the Commission) shall adopt the necessary acts. The Directive 2013/34/EU was adopted on 26 June 2013 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 29 June 2013. It does not include necessary references to the companies established in Croatia that should be within the scope of the Directive. Council Directive 2013/24/EU of 13 May 2013 adapting certain directives in the field of company law, by reason of the accession of the republic of Croatia adapted Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC, in order to add to the scope of those Directives the relevant list of Croatian limited liability companies. However, these directives were repealed when Directive 2013/34/EU entered into force in July 2103. Therefore it is necessary to take into account this evolution of the Union law and adapt Directive 2013/34/EU accordingly. The present proposal for a Council Directive covers the technical adaptations to Directive 2013/34/EU that are required by reason of the accession of Croatia.
Revised version (Article 16 Content of the notes to the financial statements relating to all undertakings):
1. In the notes to the financial statements all undertakings shall, in addition to the information required under other provisions of this Directive, disclose information in respect of the following: (a) accounting policies adopted; (b) where fixed assets are measured at revalued amounts, a table showing: (i) movements in the revaluation reserve in the financial year, with an explanation of the tax treatment of items therein, and (ii) the carrying amount in the balance sheet that would have been recognised had the fixed assets not been revalued; (b) where fixed assets are measured at revalued amounts, a table showing: (i) movements in the revaluation reserve in the financial year, with an explanation of the tax treatment of items therein, and (ii) the carrying amount in the balance sheet that would have been recognised had the fixed assets not been revalued; (c) where financial instruments and/or assets other than financial instruments are measured at fair value: (i) the significant assumptions underlying the valuation models and techniques where fair values have been determined in accordance with point (b) of Article 8(7), (ii) for each category of financial instrument or asset other than financial instruments, the fair value, the changes in value included directly in the profit and loss account and changes included in fair value reserves, (iii) for each class of derivative financial instrument, information about the extent and the nature of the instruments, including significant terms and conditions that may affect the amount, timing and certainty of future cash flows, and (iv) a table showing movements in fair value reserves during the financial year; (c) where financial instruments and/or assets other than financial instruments are measured at fair value: (i) the significant assumptions underlying the valuation models and techniques where fair values have been determined in accordance with point (b) of Article 8(7), (ii) for each category of financial instrument or asset other than financial instruments, the fair value, the changes in value included directly in the profit and loss account and changes included in fair value reserves, (iii) for each class of derivative financial instrument, information about the extent and the nature of the instruments, including significant terms and conditions that may affect the amount, timing and certainty of future cash flows, and (iv) a table showing movements in fair value reserves during the financial year; (d) the total amount of any financial commitments, guarantees or contingencies that are not included in the balance sheet, and an indication of the nature and form of any valuable security which has been provided; any commitments concerning pensions and affiliated or associated undertakings shall be disclosed separately; (e) the amount of advances and credits granted to members of the administrative, managerial and supervisory bodies, with indications of the interest rates, main conditions and any amounts repaid or written off or waived, as well as commitments entered into on their behalf by way of guarantees of any kind, with an indication of the total for each category; (f) the amount and nature of individual items of income or expenditure which are of exceptional size or incidence; (g) amounts owed by the undertaking becoming due and payable after more than five years, as well as the undertaking's entire debts covered by valuable security furnished by the undertaking, with an indication of the nature and form of the security; and (h) the average number of employees during the financial year. 2. Member States may require mutatis mutandis that small undertakings are to disclose information as required in points (a), (m), (p), (q) and (r) of Article 17(1). For the purposes of applying the first subparagraph, the information required in point (p) of Article 17(1) shall be limited to the nature and business purpose of the arrangements referred to in that point. For the purposes of applying the first subparagraph, the disclosure of the information required in point (r) of Article 17(1) shall be limited to transactions entered into with the parties listed in the fourth subparagraph of that point. 3. Member States shall not require disclosure for small undertakings beyond what is required or permitted by this Article.
Article 17 Additional disclosures for medium-sized and large undertakings and public-interest entities
1. In the notes to the financial statements, medium-sized and large undertakings and public-interest entities shall, in addition to the information required under Article 16 and any other provisions of this Directive, disclose information in respect of the following matters: (a) for the various fixed asset items: (i) the purchase price or production cost or, where an alternative basis of measurement has been followed, the fair value or revalued amount at the beginning and end of the financial year, (ii) additions, disposals and transfers during the financial year, (iii) the accumulated value adjustments at the beginning and end of the financial year, (iv) value adjustments charged during the financial year, (v) movements in accumulated value adjustments in respect of additions, disposals and transfers during the financial year, and (vi) where interest is capitalised in accordance with Article 12(8), the amount capitalised during the financial year. (b) if fixed or current assets are the subject of value adjustments for taxation purposes alone, the amount of the adjustments and the reasons for making them; (c) where financial instruments are measured at purchase price or production cost: (i) for each class of derivative financial instrument: — the fair value of the instruments, if such a value can be determined by any of the methods prescribed in point (a) of Article 8(7), and — information about the extent and nature of the instruments, (ii) for financial fixed assets carried at an amount in excess of their fair value: — the book value and the fair value of either the individual assets or appropriate groupings of those individual assets, and — the reasons for not reducing the book value, including the nature of the evidence underlying the assumption that the book value will be recovered; (d) the amount of the emoluments granted in respect of, the financial year to the members of administrative, managerial and supervisory bodies by reason of their responsibilities and any commitments arising or entered into in respect of retirement pensions of former members of those bodies, with an indication of the total for each category of body. Member States may waive the requirement to disclose such information where its disclosure would make it possible to identify the financial position of a specific member of such a body; (e) the average number of employees during the financial year, broken down by categories and, if they are not disclosed separately in the profit and loss account, the staff costs relating to the financial year, broken down between wages and salaries, social security costs and pension costs; (f) where a provision for deferred tax is recognised in the balance sheet, the deferred tax balances at the end of the financial year, and the movement in those balances during the financial year; (g) the name and registered office of each of the undertakings in which the undertaking, either itself or through a person acting in his own name but on the undertaking's behalf, holds a participating interest, showing the proportion of the capital held, the amount of capital and reserves, and the profit or loss for the latest financial year of the undertaking concerned for which financial statements have been adopted; the information concerning capital and reserves and the profit or loss may be omitted where the undertaking concerned does not publish its balance sheet and is not controlled by the undertaking. Member States may allow the information required to be disclosed by the first subparagraph of this point to take the form of a statement filed in accordance with Article 3(1) and (3) of Directive 2009/101/EC; the filing of such a statement shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. Member States may also allow that information to be omitted when its nature is such that it would be seriously prejudicial to any of the undertakings to which it relates. Member States may make such omissions subject to prior administrative or judicial authorisation. Any such omission shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements; (h) the number and the nominal value or, in the absence of a nominal value, the accounting par value of the shares subscribed during the financial year within the limits of the authorised capital, without prejudice as far as the amount of that capital is concerned to point (e) of Article 2of Directive 2009/101/EC or to points (c) and (d) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/30/EU; (i) where there is more than one class of shares, the number and the nominal value or, in the absence of a nominal value, the accounting par value for each class; (j) the existence of any participation certificates, convertible debentures, warrants, options or similar securities or rights, with an indication of their number and the rights they confer; (k) the name, the head or registered office and the legal form of each of the undertakings of which the undertaking is a member having unlimited liability; (l) the name and registered office of the undertaking which draws up the consolidated financial statements of the largest body of undertakings of which the undertaking forms part as a subsidiary undertaking; (m) the name and registered office of the undertaking which draws up the consolidated financial statements of the smallest body of undertakings of which the undertaking forms part as a subsidiary undertaking and which is also included in the body of undertakings referred to in point (l); (n) the place where copies of the consolidated financial statements referred to in points (l) and (m) may be obtained, provided that they are available; (o) the proposed appropriation of profit or treatment of loss, or where applicable, the appropriation of the profit or treatment of the loss; (p) the nature and business purpose of the undertaking's arrangements that are not included in the balance sheet and the financial impact on the undertaking of those arrangements, provided that the risks or benefits arising from such arrangements are material and in so far as the disclosure of such risks or benefits is necessary for the purposes of assessing the financial position of the undertaking; (q) the nature and the financial effect of material events arising after the balance sheet date which are not reflected in the profit and loss account or balance sheet; and (r) transactions which have been entered into with related parties by the undertaking, including the amount of such transactions, the nature of the related party relationship and other information about the transactions necessary for an understanding of the financial position of the undertaking. Information about individual transactions may be aggregated according to their nature except where separate information is necessary for an understanding of the effects of related party transactions on the financial position of the undertaking. Member States may permit or require that only transactions with related parties that have not been concluded under normal market conditions be disclosed. Member States may permit that transactions entered into between one or more members of a group be not disclosed, provided that subsidiaries which are party to the transaction are wholly owned by such a member. Member States may permit that a medium-sized undertaking limit the disclosure of transactions with related parties to transactions entered into with: (i) owners holding a participating interest in the undertaking; (ii) undertakings in which the undertaking itself has a participating interest; and (iii) members of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of the undertaking. 2. Member States shall not be required to apply point (g) of paragraph 1 to an undertaking which is a parent undertaking governed by their national laws in the following cases: (a) where the undertaking in which that parent undertaking holds a participating interest for the purposes of point (g) of paragraph 1 is included in consolidated financial statements drawn up by that parent undertaking, or in the consolidated financial statements of a larger body of undertakings as referred to in Article 23(4); (b) where that participating interest has been dealt with by that parent undertaking in its annual financial statements in accordance with Article 9(7), or in the consolidated financial statements drawn up by that parent undertaking in accordance with Article 27(1) to (8).
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL The proposal for a Council Directive adapting Directive 2013/34/EU is necessitated by the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union. The Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union[1] (hereinafter: “the Treaty of Accession”) was signed by all Member States of the European Union and the Republic of Croatia at Brussels on 9 December 2011. Article 3(3) of the Treaty of Accession provides that it shall enter into force on 1 July 2013 provided that all the instruments of ratification have been deposited before that date. Article 3(4) of the Treaty of Accession enables the institutions of the Union to adopt before accession measures referred to, inter alia, in Article 50 of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Croatia[2] (hereinafter: “the Act of Accession”). These measures shall enter into force only subject to and on the date of the entry into force of the Treaty of Accession. Article 50 of the Act of Accession provides that where acts of the institutions adopted prior to accession require adaptation by reason of accession, and the necessary adaptations have not been provided for in this Act of Accession or its Annexes, the Council or the Commission (if the original acts were adopted by the Commission) shall adopt the necessary acts. The Directive 2013/34/EU was adopted on 26 June 2013 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 29 June 2013. It does not include necessary references to the companies established in Croatia that should be within the scope of the Directive. Council Directive 2013/24/EU of 13 May 2013 adapting certain directives in the field of company law, by reason of the accession of the republic of Croatia adapted Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC, in order to add to the scope of those Directives the relevant list of Croatian limited liability companies. However, these directives were repealed when Directive 2013/34/EU entered into force in July 2103. Therefore it is necessary to take into account this evolution of the Union law and adapt Directive 2013/34/EU accordingly. The present proposal for a Council Directive covers the technical adaptations to Directive 2013/34/EU that are required by reason of the accession of Croatia.
Revised version (Article 17 Additional disclosures for medium-sized and large undertakings and public-interest entities):
1. In the notes to the financial statements, medium-sized and large undertakings and public-interest entities shall, in addition to the information required under Article 16 and any other provisions of this Directive, disclose information in respect of the following matters: (a) for the various fixed asset items: (i) the purchase price or production cost or, where an alternative basis of measurement has been followed, the fair value or revalued amount at the beginning and end of the financial year, (ii) additions, disposals and transfers during the financial year, (iii) the accumulated value adjustments at the beginning and end of the financial year, (iv) value adjustments charged during the financial year, (v) movements in accumulated value adjustments in respect of additions, disposals and transfers during the financial year, and (vi) where interest is capitalised in accordance with Article 12(8), the amount capitalised during the financial year. (a) for the various fixed asset items: (i) the purchase price or production cost or, where an alternative basis of measurement has been followed, the fair value or revalued amount at the beginning and end of the financial year, (ii) additions, disposals and transfers during the financial year, (iii) the accumulated value adjustments at the beginning and end of the financial year, (iv) value adjustments charged during the financial year, (v) movements in accumulated value adjustments in respect of additions, disposals and transfers during the financial year, and (vi) where interest is capitalised in accordance with Article 12(8), the amount capitalised during the financial year. (b) if fixed or current assets are the subject of value adjustments for taxation purposes alone, the amount of the adjustments and the reasons for making them; (c) where financial instruments are measured at purchase price or production cost: (i) for each class of derivative financial instrument: — the fair value of the instruments, if such a value can be determined by any of the methods prescribed in point (a) of Article 8(7), and — information about the extent and nature of the instruments, (ii) for financial fixed assets carried at an amount in excess of their fair value: — the book value and the fair value of either the individual assets or appropriate groupings of those individual assets, and — the reasons for not reducing the book value, including the nature of the evidence underlying the assumption that the book value will be recovered; (c) where financial instruments are measured at purchase price or production cost: (i) for each class of derivative financial instrument: — the fair value of the instruments, if such a value can be determined by any of the methods prescribed in point (a) of Article 8(7), and — information about the extent and nature of the instruments, (i) for each class of derivative financial instrument: — the fair value of the instruments, if such a value can be determined by any of the methods prescribed in point (a) of Article 8(7), and — information about the extent and nature of the instruments, (ii) for financial fixed assets carried at an amount in excess of their fair value: — the book value and the fair value of either the individual assets or appropriate groupings of those individual assets, and — the reasons for not reducing the book value, including the nature of the evidence underlying the assumption that the book value will be recovered; (ii) for financial fixed assets carried at an amount in excess of their fair value: — the book value and the fair value of either the individual assets or appropriate groupings of those individual assets, and — the reasons for not reducing the book value, including the nature of the evidence underlying the assumption that the book value will be recovered; (d) the amount of the emoluments granted in respect of, the financial year to the members of administrative, managerial and supervisory bodies by reason of their responsibilities and any commitments arising or entered into in respect of retirement pensions of former members of those bodies, with an indication of the total for each category of body. Member States may waive the requirement to disclose such information where its disclosure would make it possible to identify the financial position of a specific member of such a body; (d) the amount of the emoluments granted in respect of, the financial year to the members of administrative, managerial and supervisory bodies by reason of their responsibilities and any commitments arising or entered into in respect of retirement pensions of former members of those bodies, with an indication of the total for each category of body. Member States may waive the requirement to disclose such information where its disclosure would make it possible to identify the financial position of a specific member of such a body; (e) the average number of employees during the financial year, broken down by categories and, if they are not disclosed separately in the profit and loss account, the staff costs relating to the financial year, broken down between wages and salaries, social security costs and pension costs; (f) where a provision for deferred tax is recognised in the balance sheet, the deferred tax balances at the end of the financial year, and the movement in those balances during the financial year; (g) the name and registered office of each of the undertakings in which the undertaking, either itself or through a person acting in his own name but on the undertaking's behalf, holds a participating interest, showing the proportion of the capital held, the amount of capital and reserves, and the profit or loss for the latest financial year of the undertaking concerned for which financial statements have been adopted; the information concerning capital and reserves and the profit or loss may be omitted where the undertaking concerned does not publish its balance sheet and is not controlled by the undertaking. Member States may allow the information required to be disclosed by the first subparagraph of this point to take the form of a statement filed in accordance with Article 3(1) and (3) of Directive 2009/101/EC; the filing of such a statement shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. Member States may also allow that information to be omitted when its nature is such that it would be seriously prejudicial to any of the undertakings to which it relates. Member States may make such omissions subject to prior administrative or judicial authorisation. Any such omission shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements; (g) the name and registered office of each of the undertakings in which the undertaking, either itself or through a person acting in his own name but on the undertaking's behalf, holds a participating interest, showing the proportion of the capital held, the amount of capital and reserves, and the profit or loss for the latest financial year of the undertaking concerned for which financial statements have been adopted; the information concerning capital and reserves and the profit or loss may be omitted where the undertaking concerned does not publish its balance sheet and is not controlled by the undertaking. Member States may allow the information required to be disclosed by the first subparagraph of this point to take the form of a statement filed in accordance with Article 3(1) and (3) of Directive 2009/101/EC; the filing of such a statement shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. Member States may also allow that information to be omitted when its nature is such that it would be seriously prejudicial to any of the undertakings to which it relates. Member States may make such omissions subject to prior administrative or judicial authorisation. Any such omission shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements; (h) the number and the nominal value or, in the absence of a nominal value, the accounting par value of the shares subscribed during the financial year within the limits of the authorised capital, without prejudice as far as the amount of that capital is concerned to point (e) of Article 2of Directive 2009/101/EC or to points (c) and (d) of Article 2 of Directive 2012/30/EU; (i) where there is more than one class of shares, the number and the nominal value or, in the absence of a nominal value, the accounting par value for each class; (j) the existence of any participation certificates, convertible debentures, warrants, options or similar securities or rights, with an indication of their number and the rights they confer; (k) the name, the head or registered office and the legal form of each of the undertakings of which the undertaking is a member having unlimited liability; (l) the name and registered office of the undertaking which draws up the consolidated financial statements of the largest body of undertakings of which the undertaking forms part as a subsidiary undertaking; (m) the name and registered office of the undertaking which draws up the consolidated financial statements of the smallest body of undertakings of which the undertaking forms part as a subsidiary undertaking and which is also included in the body of undertakings referred to in point (l); (n) the place where copies of the consolidated financial statements referred to in points (l) and (m) may be obtained, provided that they are available; (o) the proposed appropriation of profit or treatment of loss, or where applicable, the appropriation of the profit or treatment of the loss; (p) the nature and business purpose of the undertaking's arrangements that are not included in the balance sheet and the financial impact on the undertaking of those arrangements, provided that the risks or benefits arising from such arrangements are material and in so far as the disclosure of such risks or benefits is necessary for the purposes of assessing the financial position of the undertaking; (q) the nature and the financial effect of material events arising after the balance sheet date which are not reflected in the profit and loss account or balance sheet; and (r) transactions which have been entered into with related parties by the undertaking, including the amount of such transactions, the nature of the related party relationship and other information about the transactions necessary for an understanding of the financial position of the undertaking. Information about individual transactions may be aggregated according to their nature except where separate information is necessary for an understanding of the effects of related party transactions on the financial position of the undertaking. Member States may permit or require that only transactions with related parties that have not been concluded under normal market conditions be disclosed. Member States may permit that transactions entered into between one or more members of a group be not disclosed, provided that subsidiaries which are party to the transaction are wholly owned by such a member. Member States may permit that a medium-sized undertaking limit the disclosure of transactions with related parties to transactions entered into with: (i) owners holding a participating interest in the undertaking; (ii) undertakings in which the undertaking itself has a participating interest; and (iii) members of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of the undertaking. (r) transactions which have been entered into with related parties by the undertaking, including the amount of such transactions, the nature of the related party relationship and other information about the transactions necessary for an understanding of the financial position of the undertaking. Information about individual transactions may be aggregated according to their nature except where separate information is necessary for an understanding of the effects of related party transactions on the financial position of the undertaking. Member States may permit or require that only transactions with related parties that have not been concluded under normal market conditions be disclosed. Member States may permit that transactions entered into between one or more members of a group be not disclosed, provided that subsidiaries which are party to the transaction are wholly owned by such a member. Member States may permit that a medium-sized undertaking limit the disclosure of transactions with related parties to transactions entered into with: (i) owners holding a participating interest in the undertaking; (ii) undertakings in which the undertaking itself has a participating interest; and (iii) members of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of the undertaking. 2. Member States shall not be required to apply point (g) of paragraph 1 to an undertaking which is a parent undertaking governed by their national laws in the following cases: (a) where the undertaking in which that parent undertaking holds a participating interest for the purposes of point (g) of paragraph 1 is included in consolidated financial statements drawn up by that parent undertaking, or in the consolidated financial statements of a larger body of undertakings as referred to in Article 23(4); (b) where that participating interest has been dealt with by that parent undertaking in its annual financial statements in accordance with Article 9(7), or in the consolidated financial statements drawn up by that parent undertaking in accordance with Article 27(1) to (8).
Article 18 Additional disclosures for large undertakings and public-interest entities
1. In the notes to the financial statements, large undertakings and public-interest entities shall, in addition to the information required under Articles 16 and 17 and any other provisions of this Directive, disclose information in respect of the following matters: (a) the net turnover broken down by categories of activity and into geographical markets, in so far as those categories and markets differ substantially from one another, taking account of the manner in which the sale of products and the provision of services are organised; and (b) the total fees for the financial year charged by each statutory auditor or audit firm for the statutory audit of the annual financial statements, and the total fees charged by each statutory auditor or audit firm for other assurance services, for tax advisory services and for other non-audit services. 2. Member States may allow the information referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1to be omitted where the disclosure of that information would be seriously prejudicial to the undertaking. Member States may make such omissions subject to prior administrative or judicial authorisation. Any such omission shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. 3. Member States may provide that point (b) of paragraph 1 is not to apply to the annual financial statements of an undertaking where that undertaking is included within the consolidated financial statements required to be drawn up under Article 22, provided that such information is given in the notes to the consolidated financial statements.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL Reasons for and objectives of the proposal A healthy Single Market needs a fair, efficient and growth-friendly corporate tax system, based on the principle that companies should pay taxes in the country where profits are generated. Aggressive tax planning undermines this principle. The majority of companies do not engage in aggressive tax planning and suffer a competitive disadvantage to those that do. Small and medium-sized companies are particularly affected by this phenomenon. Fighting against tax avoidance and aggressive tax planning, both at EU a nd global level, is a political priority for the European Commission. As part of a broader strategy for a Fair and Efficient Corporate Tax System in the EU 1 , p ublic scrutiny can help to ensure that profits are effectively taxed where they are generated. Pu blic scrutiny can reinforce public trust and strengthen companies' corporate social responsibility by contributing to the welfare through paying taxes in the country where they are active. In addition, it can also promote a better informed debate on potent ial shortcomings in tax laws. The Commission announced in March 2015 a comprehensive list of initiatives in its Action Plan on a Fairer Corporate Tax System (COM(2015)302) and proposed as part of the subsequent Anti-Tax Avoidance Package 2 (ATAP), to implem ent in the Union Action 13 of the OECD Action Plan endorsed by the G20 to fight base erosion and profit shifting (hereafter, BEPS). As a result, tax authorities will receive a country-by-country report from multinational enterprises (MNEs) on income tax pa id which should enable better compliance with tax laws. Responding to the calls from the G20 and elsewhere, greater transparency on the side of companies is needed to enable public scrutiny of whether tax is paid where profits are produced. This proposal requires that MNEs disclose publicly in a specific report the income tax they pay together with other relevant tax-related information. MNEs, whether headquartered in the EU or outside, with turnover of more than EUR 750m will need to comply with these additional transparency requirements. For the first time, not only European businesses but also non-European multinational companies doing business in Europe will have the same reporting obligations. Third country jurisdictions which do not respect international tax good governance standards create particular opportunities for tax avoidance and tax evasion. If MNEs are active in such jurisdictions, special transparency requirements should apply. This proposal focusses on corporate groups with a worldwide con solidated net turnover of more than EUR 750 million, in line with the scope of global OECD initiatives on tax transparency. The proposal does not impose any obligations on small and medium-sized companies 3 . It is proportionate both in terms of scope and i nformation to be disclosed so as to limit compliance and other costs for affected companies, as well as to avoid jeopardising their competitiveness or expose them unduly to double taxation risks. It fits into the multilateral approach supported by the G20 and the OECD. The Commission will continue to work proactively on these issues with all relevant international partners.
Revised version (Article 18 Additional disclosures for large undertakings and public-interest entities):
1. In the notes to the financial statements, large undertakings and public-interest entities shall, in addition to the information required under Articles 16 and 17 and any other provisions of this Directive, disclose information in respect of the following matters: (a) the net turnover broken down by categories of activity and into geographical markets, in so far as those categories and markets differ substantially from one another, taking account of the manner in which the sale of products and the provision of services are organised; and (b) the total fees for the financial year charged by each statutory auditor or audit firm for the statutory audit of the annual financial statements, and the total fees charged by each statutory auditor or audit firm for other assurance services, for tax advisory services and for other non-audit services. In the notes to the financial statements, large undertakings and public-interest entities shall, in addition to the information required under Articles 16 and 17 and any other provisions of this Directive, disclose information in respect of the following matters: (a) the net turnover broken down by categories of activity and into geographical markets, in so far as those categories and markets differ substantially from one another, taking account of the manner in which the sale of products and the provision of services are organised; and (b) the total fees for the financial year charged by each statutory auditor or audit firm for the statutory audit of the annual financial statements, and the total fees charged by each statutory auditor or audit firm for other assurance services, for tax advisory services and for other non-audit services. 2. Member States may allow the information referred to in point (a) of paragraph 1to be omitted where the disclosure of that information would be seriously prejudicial to the undertaking. Member States may make such omissions subject to prior administrative or judicial authorisation. Any such omission shall be disclosed in the notes to the financial statements. 3. Member States may provide that point (b) of paragraph 1 is not to apply to the annual financial statements of an undertaking where that undertaking is included within the consolidated financial statements required to be drawn up under Article 22, provided that such information is given in the notes to the consolidated financial statements.
Article 19 Contents of the management report
1. The management report shall include a fair review of the development and performance of the undertaking's business and of its position, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that it faces. The review shall be a balanced and comprehensive analysis of the development and performance of the undertaking's business and of its position, consistent with the size and complexity of the business. To the extent necessary for an understanding of the undertaking's development, performance or position, the analysis shall include both financial and, where appropriate, non-financial key performance indicators relevant to the particular business, including information relating to environmental and employee matters. In providing the analysis, the management report shall, where appropriate, include references to, and additional explanations of, amounts reported in the annual financial statements. 2. The management report shall also give an indication of: (a) the undertaking's likely future development; (b) activities in the field of research and development; (c) the information concerning acquisitions of own shares prescribed by Article 24(2) of Directive 2012/30/EU; (d) the existence of branches of the undertaking; and (e) in relation to the undertaking's use of financial instruments and where material for the assessment of its assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss: (i) the undertaking's financial risk management objectives and policies, including its policy for hedging each major type of forecasted transaction for which hedge accounting is used; and (ii) the undertaking's exposure to price risk, credit risk, liquidity risk and cash flow risk. 3. Member States may exempt small undertakings from the obligation to prepare management reports, provided that they require the information referred to in Article 24(2) of Directive 2012/30/EU concerning the acquisition by an undertaking of its own shares to be given in the notes to the financial statements. 4. Member States may exempt small and medium-sized undertakings from the obligation set out in the third subparagraph of paragraph 1 in so far as it relates to non-financial information.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL The proposal for a Council Directive adapting Directive 2013/34/EU is necessitated by the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union. The Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union[1] (hereinafter: “the Treaty of Accession”) was signed by all Member States of the European Union and the Republic of Croatia at Brussels on 9 December 2011. Article 3(3) of the Treaty of Accession provides that it shall enter into force on 1 July 2013 provided that all the instruments of ratification have been deposited before that date. Article 3(4) of the Treaty of Accession enables the institutions of the Union to adopt before accession measures referred to, inter alia, in Article 50 of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Croatia[2] (hereinafter: “the Act of Accession”). These measures shall enter into force only subject to and on the date of the entry into force of the Treaty of Accession. Article 50 of the Act of Accession provides that where acts of the institutions adopted prior to accession require adaptation by reason of accession, and the necessary adaptations have not been provided for in this Act of Accession or its Annexes, the Council or the Commission (if the original acts were adopted by the Commission) shall adopt the necessary acts. The Directive 2013/34/EU was adopted on 26 June 2013 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 29 June 2013. It does not include necessary references to the companies established in Croatia that should be within the scope of the Directive. Council Directive 2013/24/EU of 13 May 2013 adapting certain directives in the field of company law, by reason of the accession of the republic of Croatia adapted Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC, in order to add to the scope of those Directives the relevant list of Croatian limited liability companies. However, these directives were repealed when Directive 2013/34/EU entered into force in July 2103. Therefore it is necessary to take into account this evolution of the Union law and adapt Directive 2013/34/EU accordingly. The present proposal for a Council Directive covers the technical adaptations to Directive 2013/34/EU that are required by reason of the accession of Croatia.
Revised version (Article 19 Contents of the management report):
1. The management report shall include a fair review of the development and performance of the undertaking's business and of its position, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that it faces. The review shall be a balanced and comprehensive analysis of the development and performance of the undertaking's business and of its position, consistent with the size and complexity of the business. To the extent necessary for an understanding of the undertaking's development, performance or position, the analysis shall include both financial and, where appropriate, non-financial key performance indicators relevant to the particular business, including information relating to environmental and employee matters. In providing the analysis, the management report shall, where appropriate, include references to, and additional explanations of, amounts reported in the annual financial statements. 2. The management report shall also give an indication of: (a) the undertaking's likely future development; (b) activities in the field of research and development; (c) the information concerning acquisitions of own shares prescribed by Article 24(2) of Directive 2012/30/EU; (d) the existence of branches of the undertaking; and (e) in relation to the undertaking's use of financial instruments and where material for the assessment of its assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss: (i) the undertaking's financial risk management objectives and policies, including its policy for hedging each major type of forecasted transaction for which hedge accounting is used; and (ii) the undertaking's exposure to price risk, credit risk, liquidity risk and cash flow risk. (e) in relation to the undertaking's use of financial instruments and where material for the assessment of its assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss: (i) the undertaking's financial risk management objectives and policies, including its policy for hedging each major type of forecasted transaction for which hedge accounting is used; and (ii) the undertaking's exposure to price risk, credit risk, liquidity risk and cash flow risk. 3. Member States may exempt small undertakings from the obligation to prepare management reports, provided that they require the information referred to in Article 24(2) of Directive 2012/30/EU concerning the acquisition by an undertaking of its own shares to be given in the notes to the financial statements. 4. Member States may exempt small and medium-sized undertakings from the obligation set out in the third subparagraph of paragraph 1 in so far as it relates to non-financial information.
Article 20 Corporate governance statement
1. Undertakings referred to in point (1)(a) of Article 2 shall include a corporate governance statement in their management report. That statement shall be included as a specific section of the management report and shall contain at least the following information: (a) a reference to the following, where applicable: (i) the corporate governance code to which the undertaking is subject, (ii) the corporate governance code which the undertaking may have voluntarily decided to apply, (iii) all relevant information about the corporate governance practices applied over and above the requirements of national law. Where reference is made to a corporate governance code referred to in points (i) or (ii), the undertaking shall also indicate where the relevant texts are publicly available. Where reference is made to the information referred to in point (iii), the undertaking shall make details of its corporate governance practices publicly available; (b) where an undertaking, in accordance with national law, departs from a corporate governance code referred to in points (a)(i) or (ii), an explanation by the undertaking as to which parts of the corporate governance code it departs from and the reasons for doing so; where the undertaking has decided not to refer to any provisions of a corporate governance code referred to in points (a)(i) or (ii), it shall explain its reasons for not doing so; (c) a description of the main features of the undertaking's internal control and risk management systems in relation to the financial reporting process; (d) the information required by points (c), (d), (f), (h) and (i) of Article 10(1) of Directive 2004/25/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on takeover bids ( 16 ) , where the undertaking is subject to that Directive; (e) unless the information is already fully provided for in national law, a description of the operation of the shareholder meeting and its key powers and a description of shareholders' rights and how they can be exercised; and (f) the composition and operation of the administrative, management and supervisory bodies and their committees. 2. Member States may permit the information required by paragraph 1 of this Article to be set out in: (a) a separate report published together with the management report in the manner set out in Article 30; or (b) a document publicly available on the undertaking's website, to which reference is made in the management report. That separate report or that document referred to in points (a) and (b), respectively, may cross-refer to the management report, where the information required by point (d) of paragraph 1 of this Article is made available in that management report. 3. The statutory auditor or audit firm shall express an opinion in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 34(1) regarding information prepared under points (c) and (d) of paragraph 1 of this Article and shall check that the information referred to in points (a), (b), (e) and (f) of paragraph 1 of this Article has been provided. 4. Member States may exempt undertakings referred to in paragraph 1 which have only issued securities other than shares admitted to trading on a regulated market, within the meaning of point (14) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2004/39/EC, from the application of points (a), (b), (e) and (f) of paragraph 1 of this Article, unless such undertakings have issued shares which are traded in a multilateral trading facility, within the meaning of point (15) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2004/39/EC.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL The proposal for a Council Directive adapting Directive 2013/34/EU is necessitated by the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union. The Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union[1] (hereinafter: “the Treaty of Accession”) was signed by all Member States of the European Union and the Republic of Croatia at Brussels on 9 December 2011. Article 3(3) of the Treaty of Accession provides that it shall enter into force on 1 July 2013 provided that all the instruments of ratification have been deposited before that date. Article 3(4) of the Treaty of Accession enables the institutions of the Union to adopt before accession measures referred to, inter alia, in Article 50 of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Croatia[2] (hereinafter: “the Act of Accession”). These measures shall enter into force only subject to and on the date of the entry into force of the Treaty of Accession. Article 50 of the Act of Accession provides that where acts of the institutions adopted prior to accession require adaptation by reason of accession, and the necessary adaptations have not been provided for in this Act of Accession or its Annexes, the Council or the Commission (if the original acts were adopted by the Commission) shall adopt the necessary acts. The Directive 2013/34/EU was adopted on 26 June 2013 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 29 June 2013. It does not include necessary references to the companies established in Croatia that should be within the scope of the Directive. Council Directive 2013/24/EU of 13 May 2013 adapting certain directives in the field of company law, by reason of the accession of the republic of Croatia adapted Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC, in order to add to the scope of those Directives the relevant list of Croatian limited liability companies. However, these directives were repealed when Directive 2013/34/EU entered into force in July 2103. Therefore it is necessary to take into account this evolution of the Union law and adapt Directive 2013/34/EU accordingly. The present proposal for a Council Directive covers the technical adaptations to Directive 2013/34/EU that are required by reason of the accession of Croatia.
Revised version (Article 20 Corporate governance statement):
1. Undertakings referred to in point (1)(a) of Article 2 shall include a corporate governance statement in their management report. That statement shall be included as a specific section of the management report and shall contain at least the following information: (a) a reference to the following, where applicable: (i) the corporate governance code to which the undertaking is subject, (ii) the corporate governance code which the undertaking may have voluntarily decided to apply, (iii) all relevant information about the corporate governance practices applied over and above the requirements of national law. Where reference is made to a corporate governance code referred to in points (i) or (ii), the undertaking shall also indicate where the relevant texts are publicly available. Where reference is made to the information referred to in point (iii), the undertaking shall make details of its corporate governance practices publicly available; (a) a reference to the following, where applicable: (i) the corporate governance code to which the undertaking is subject, (ii) the corporate governance code which the undertaking may have voluntarily decided to apply, (iii) all relevant information about the corporate governance practices applied over and above the requirements of national law. Where reference is made to a corporate governance code referred to in points (i) or (ii), the undertaking shall also indicate where the relevant texts are publicly available. Where reference is made to the information referred to in point (iii), the undertaking shall make details of its corporate governance practices publicly available; (b) where an undertaking, in accordance with national law, departs from a corporate governance code referred to in points (a)(i) or (ii), an explanation by the undertaking as to which parts of the corporate governance code it departs from and the reasons for doing so; where the undertaking has decided not to refer to any provisions of a corporate governance code referred to in points (a)(i) or (ii), it shall explain its reasons for not doing so; (c) a description of the main features of the undertaking's internal control and risk management systems in relation to the financial reporting process; (d) the information required by points (c), (d), (f), (h) and (i) of Article 10(1) of Directive 2004/25/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 21 April 2004 on takeover bids ( 16 ), where the undertaking is subject to that Directive; (e) unless the information is already fully provided for in national law, a description of the operation of the shareholder meeting and its key powers and a description of shareholders' rights and how they can be exercised; and (f) the composition and operation of the administrative, management and supervisory bodies and their committees; and (g) a description of the diversity policy applied in relation to the undertaking's administrative, management and supervisory bodies with regard to aspects such as, for instance, age, gender, or educational and professional backgrounds, the objectives of that diversity policy, how it has been implemented and the results in the reporting period. If no such policy is applied, the statement shall contain an explanation as to why this is the case. 2. Member States may permit the information required by paragraph 1 of this Article to be set out in: (a) a separate report published together with the management report in the manner set out in Article 30; or (b) a document publicly available on the undertaking's website, to which reference is made in the management report. That separate report or that document referred to in points (a) and (b), respectively, may cross-refer to the management report, where the information required by point (d) of paragraph 1 of this Article is made available in that management report. 3. The statutory auditor or audit firm shall express an opinion in accordance with the second subparagraph of Article 34(1) regarding information prepared under points (c) and (d) of paragraph 1 of this Article and shall check that the information referred to in points (a), (b), (e), (f) and (g) of paragraph 1 of this Article has been provided. 4. Member States may exempt undertakings referred to in paragraph 1 which have only issued securities other than shares admitted to trading on a regulated market within the meaning of point (14) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2004/39/EC from the application of points (a), (b), (e), (f) and (g) of paragraph 1 of this Article, unless such undertakings have issued shares which are traded in a multilateral trading facility within the meaning of point (15) of Article 4(1) of Directive 2004/39/EC. 5. Notwithstanding Article 40, point (g) of paragraph 1 shall not apply to small and medium-sized undertakings.
Article 21 Scope of the consolidated financial statements and reports
For the purposes of this Chapter, a parent undertaking and all of its subsidiary undertakings shall be undertakings to be consolidated where the parent undertaking is an undertaking to which the coordination measures prescribed by this Directive apply by virtue of Article 1(1).
Article 22 The requirement to prepare consolidated financial statements
1. A Member State shall require any undertaking governed by its national law to draw up consolidated financial statements and a consolidated management report if that undertaking (a parent undertaking): (a) has a majority of the shareholders' or members' voting rights in another undertaking (a subsidiary undertaking); (b) has the right to appoint or remove a majority of the members of the administrative, management or supervisory body of another undertaking (a subsidiary undertaking) and is at the same time a shareholder in or member of that undertaking; (c) has the right to exercise a dominant influence over an undertaking (a subsidiary undertaking) of which it is a shareholder or member, pursuant to a contract entered into with that undertaking or to a provision in its memorandum or articles of association, where the law governing that subsidiary undertaking permits its being subject to such contracts or provisions. A Member State need not prescribe that a parent undertaking must be a shareholder in or member of its subsidiary undertaking. Those Member States the laws of which do not provide for such contracts or clauses shall not be required to apply this provision; or (d) is a shareholder in or member of an undertaking, and: (i) a majority of the members of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of that undertaking (a subsidiary undertaking) who have held office during the financial year, during the preceding financial year and up to the time when the consolidated financial statements are drawn up, have been appointed solely as a result of the exercise of its voting rights; or (ii) controls alone, pursuant to an agreement with other shareholders in or members of that undertaking (a subsidiary undertaking), a majority of shareholders' or members' voting rights in that undertaking. The Member States may introduce more detailed provisions concerning the form and contents of such agreements. Member States shall prescribe at least the arrangements referred to in point (ii). They may subject the application of point (i) to the requirement that the voting rights represent at least 20 % of the total. However, point (i) shall not apply where a third party has the rights referred to in points (a), (b) or (c) with regard to that undertaking. 2. In addition to the cases mentioned in paragraph 1, Member States may require any undertaking governed by their national law to draw up consolidated financial statements and a consolidated management report if: (a) that undertaking (a parent undertaking) has the power to exercise, or actually exercises, dominant influence or control over another undertaking (the subsidiary undertaking); or (b) that undertaking (a parent undertaking) and another undertaking (the subsidiary undertaking) are managed on a unified basis by the parent undertaking. 3. For the purposes of points (a), (b) and (d) of paragraph 1, the voting rights and the rights of appointment and removal of any other subsidiary undertaking as well as those of any person acting in his own name but on behalf of the parent undertaking or of another subsidiary undertaking shall be added to those of the parent undertaking. 4. For the purposes of points (a), (b) and (d) of paragraph 1, the rights mentioned in paragraph 3 shall be reduced by the rights: (a) attaching to shares held on behalf of a person who is neither the parent undertaking nor a subsidiary of that parent undertaking; or (b) attaching to shares: (i) held by way of security, provided that the rights in question are exercised in accordance with the instructions received, or (ii) held in connection with the granting of loans as part of normal business activities, provided that the voting rights are exercised in the interests of the person providing the security. 5. For the purposes of points (a) and (d) of paragraph 1, the total of the shareholders' or members' voting rights in the subsidiary undertaking shall be reduced by the voting rights attaching to the shares held by that undertaking itself, by a subsidiary undertaking of that undertaking or by a person acting in his own name but on behalf of those undertakings. 6. Without prejudice to Article 23(9), a parent undertaking and all of its subsidiary undertakings shall be undertakings to be consolidated regardless of where the registered offices of such subsidiary undertakings are situated. 7. Without prejudice to this Article and Articles 21 and 23, a Member State may require any undertaking governed by its national law to draw up consolidated financial statements and a consolidated management report if: (a) that undertaking and one or more other undertakings to which it is not related as described in paragraphs 1 or 2, are managed on a unified basis in accordance with: (i) a contract concluded with that undertaking, or (ii) the memorandum or articles of association of those other undertakings; or (b) the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of that undertaking and of one or more other undertakings to which it is not related, as described in paragraphs 1 or 2, consist in the majority of the same persons in office during the financial year and until the consolidated financial statements are drawn up. 8. Where the Member State option referred to in paragraph 7 is exercised, the undertakings described in that paragraph and all of their subsidiary undertakings shall be consolidated, where one or more of those undertakings is established as one of the types of undertaking listed in Annex I or Annex II. 9. Paragraph 6 of this Article, Article 23(1), (2), (9) and (10) and Articles 24 to 29 shall apply to the consolidated financial statements and the consolidated management report referred to in paragraph 7 of this Article, subject to the following modifications: (a) references to parent undertakings shall be understood to refer to all of the undertakings specified in paragraph 7 of this Article; and (b) without prejudice to Article 24(3), the items ‧capital‧, ‧share premium account‧, ‧revaluation reserve‧, ‧reserves‧, ‧profit or loss brought forward‧, and ‧profit or loss for the financial year‧ to be included in the consolidated financial statements shall be the aggregate amounts attributable to each of the undertakings specified in paragraph 7 of this Article.
Amendment rationale: CONTEXT OF THE PROPOSAL The proposal for a Council Directive adapting Directive 2013/34/EU is necessitated by the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union. The Treaty concerning the accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union[1] (hereinafter: “the Treaty of Accession”) was signed by all Member States of the European Union and the Republic of Croatia at Brussels on 9 December 2011. Article 3(3) of the Treaty of Accession provides that it shall enter into force on 1 July 2013 provided that all the instruments of ratification have been deposited before that date. Article 3(4) of the Treaty of Accession enables the institutions of the Union to adopt before accession measures referred to, inter alia, in Article 50 of the Act concerning the conditions of accession of the Republic of Croatia[2] (hereinafter: “the Act of Accession”). These measures shall enter into force only subject to and on the date of the entry into force of the Treaty of Accession. Article 50 of the Act of Accession provides that where acts of the institutions adopted prior to accession require adaptation by reason of accession, and the necessary adaptations have not been provided for in this Act of Accession or its Annexes, the Council or the Commission (if the original acts were adopted by the Commission) shall adopt the necessary acts. The Directive 2013/34/EU was adopted on 26 June 2013 and published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 29 June 2013. It does not include necessary references to the companies established in Croatia that should be within the scope of the Directive. Council Directive 2013/24/EU of 13 May 2013 adapting certain directives in the field of company law, by reason of the accession of the republic of Croatia adapted Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC, in order to add to the scope of those Directives the relevant list of Croatian limited liability companies. However, these directives were repealed when Directive 2013/34/EU entered into force in July 2103. Therefore it is necessary to take into account this evolution of the Union law and adapt Directive 2013/34/EU accordingly. The present proposal for a Council Directive covers the technical adaptations to Directive 2013/34/EU that are required by reason of the accession of Croatia.
Revised version (Article 22 The requirement to prepare consolidated financial statements):
1. A Member State shall require any undertaking governed by its national law to draw up consolidated financial statements and a consolidated management report if that undertaking (a parent undertaking): (a) has a majority of the shareholders' or members' voting rights in another undertaking (a subsidiary undertaking); (b) has the right to appoint or remove a majority of the members of the administrative, management or supervisory body of another undertaking (a subsidiary undertaking) and is at the same time a shareholder in or member of that undertaking; (c) has the right to exercise a dominant influence over an undertaking (a subsidiary undertaking) of which it is a shareholder or member, pursuant to a contract entered into with that undertaking or to a provision in its memorandum or articles of association, where the law governing that subsidiary undertaking permits its being subject to such contracts or provisions. A Member State need not prescribe that a parent undertaking must be a shareholder in or member of its subsidiary undertaking. Those Member States the laws of which do not provide for such contracts or clauses shall not be required to apply this provision; or (c) has the right to exercise a dominant influence over an undertaking (a subsidiary undertaking) of which it is a shareholder or member, pursuant to a contract entered into with that undertaking or to a provision in its memorandum or articles of association, where the law governing that subsidiary undertaking permits its being subject to such contracts or provisions. A Member State need not prescribe that a parent undertaking must be a shareholder in or member of its subsidiary undertaking. Those Member States the laws of which do not provide for such contracts or clauses shall not be required to apply this provision; or (d) is a shareholder in or member of an undertaking, and: (i) a majority of the members of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of that undertaking (a subsidiary undertaking) who have held office during the financial year, during the preceding financial year and up to the time when the consolidated financial statements are drawn up, have been appointed solely as a result of the exercise of its voting rights; or (ii) controls alone, pursuant to an agreement with other shareholders in or members of that undertaking (a subsidiary undertaking), a majority of shareholders' or members' voting rights in that undertaking. The Member States may introduce more detailed provisions concerning the form and contents of such agreements. (d) is a shareholder in or member of an undertaking, and: (i) a majority of the members of the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of that undertaking (a subsidiary undertaking) who have held office during the financial year, during the preceding financial year and up to the time when the consolidated financial statements are drawn up, have been appointed solely as a result of the exercise of its voting rights; or (ii) controls alone, pursuant to an agreement with other shareholders in or members of that undertaking (a subsidiary undertaking), a majority of shareholders' or members' voting rights in that undertaking. The Member States may introduce more detailed provisions concerning the form and contents of such agreements. Member States shall prescribe at least the arrangements referred to in point (ii). They may subject the application of point (i) to the requirement that the voting rights represent at least 20 % of the total. However, point (i) shall not apply where a third party has the rights referred to in points (a), (b) or (c) with regard to that undertaking. 2. In addition to the cases mentioned in paragraph 1, Member States may require any undertaking governed by their national law to draw up consolidated financial statements and a consolidated management report if: (a) that undertaking (a parent undertaking) has the power to exercise, or actually exercises, dominant influence or control over another undertaking (the subsidiary undertaking); or (b) that undertaking (a parent undertaking) and another undertaking (the subsidiary undertaking) are managed on a unified basis by the parent undertaking. 3. For the purposes of points (a), (b) and (d) of paragraph 1, the voting rights and the rights of appointment and removal of any other subsidiary undertaking as well as those of any person acting in his own name but on behalf of the parent undertaking or of another subsidiary undertaking shall be added to those of the parent undertaking. 4. For the purposes of points (a), (b) and (d) of paragraph 1, the rights mentioned in paragraph 3 shall be reduced by the rights: (a) attaching to shares held on behalf of a person who is neither the parent undertaking nor a subsidiary of that parent undertaking; or (b) attaching to shares: (i) held by way of security, provided that the rights in question are exercised in accordance with the instructions received, or (ii) held in connection with the granting of loans as part of normal business activities, provided that the voting rights are exercised in the interests of the person providing the security. (b) attaching to shares: (i) held by way of security, provided that the rights in question are exercised in accordance with the instructions received, or (ii) held in connection with the granting of loans as part of normal business activities, provided that the voting rights are exercised in the interests of the person providing the security. 5. For the purposes of points (a) and (d) of paragraph 1, the total of the shareholders' or members' voting rights in the subsidiary undertaking shall be reduced by the voting rights attaching to the shares held by that undertaking itself, by a subsidiary undertaking of that undertaking or by a person acting in his own name but on behalf of those undertakings. 6. Without prejudice to Article 23(9), a parent undertaking and all of its subsidiary undertakings shall be undertakings to be consolidated regardless of where the registered offices of such subsidiary undertakings are situated. 7. Without prejudice to this Article and Articles 21 and 23, a Member State may require any undertaking governed by its national law to draw up consolidated financial statements and a consolidated management report if: (a) that undertaking and one or more other undertakings to which it is not related as described in paragraphs 1 or 2, are managed on a unified basis in accordance with: (i) a contract concluded with that undertaking, or (ii) the memorandum or articles of association of those other undertakings; or (a) that undertaking and one or more other undertakings to which it is not related as described in paragraphs 1 or 2, are managed on a unified basis in accordance with: (i) a contract concluded with that undertaking, or (ii) the memorandum or articles of association of those other undertakings; or (b) the administrative, management or supervisory bodies of that undertaking and of one or more other undertakings to which it is not related, as described in paragraphs 1 or 2, consist in the majority of the same persons in office during the financial year and until the consolidated financial statements are drawn up. 8. Where the Member State option referred to in paragraph 7 is exercised, the undertakings described in that paragraph and all of their subsidiary undertakings shall be consolidated, where one or more of those undertakings is established as one of the types of undertaking listed in Annex I or Annex II. 9. Paragraph 6 of this Article, Article 23(1), (2), (9) and (10) and Articles 24 to 29 shall apply to the consolidated financial statements and the consolidated management report referred to in paragraph 7 of this Article, subject to the following modifications: (a) references to parent undertakings shall be understood to refer to all of the undertakings specified in paragraph 7 of this Article; and (b) without prejudice to Article 24(3), the items ‘capital’, ‘share premium account’, ‘revaluation reserve’, ‘reserves’, ‘profit or loss brought forward’, and ‘profit or loss for the financial year’ to be included in the consolidated financial statements shall be the aggregate amounts attributable to each of the undertakings specified in paragraph 7 of this Article.