Auditors and audit firms conducting statutory audits of public-interest entities (PIEs) as defined in § 319a German Commercial Code (HGB), are obliged to publish an annual transparency report according to Article 13 Directive 2014/56/EU. The current transparency report must be published on the audit firm’s website within four months after the end of the firm’s fiscal year.

From 17 June 2016 onwards, the responsibility for overseeing the audit firms’ transparency reporting obligations is transferred from Wirtschaftsprüferkammer (WPK) to Auditor Oversight Body (AOB), which is established at the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA). For further information, please refer to the website of AOB.