Article 29Quality assurance systems
1.Each Member State shall ensure that all statutory auditors and audit firms are subject to a system of quality assurance which meets at least the following criteria:
(a)the quality assurance system shall be organised in such a manner that it is independent of the reviewed statutory auditors and audit firms and subject to public oversight as provided for in Chapter VIII;
(b)the funding for the quality assurance system shall be secure and free from any possible undue influence by statutory auditors or audit firms;
(c)the quality assurance system shall have adequate resources;
(d)the persons who carry out quality assurance reviews shall have appropriate professional education and relevant experience in statutory audit and financial reporting combined with specific training on quality assurance reviews;
(e)the selection of reviewers for specific quality assurance review assignments shall be effected in accordance with an objective procedure designed to ensure that there are no conflicts of interest between the reviewers and the statutory auditor or audit firm under review;
(f)the scope of the quality assurance review, supported by adequate testing of selected audit files, shall include an assessment of compliance with applicable auditing standards and independence requirements, of the quantity and quality of resources spent, of the audit fees charged and of the internal quality control system of the audit firm;
(g)the quality assurance review shall be the subject of a report which shall contain the main conclusions of the quality assurance review;
(h)quality assurance reviews shall take place at least every six years;
(i)the overall results of the quality assurance system shall be published annually;
(j)recommendations of quality reviews shall be followed up by the statutory auditor or audit firm within a reasonable period.
If the recommendations referred to in point (j) are not followed up, the statutory auditor or audit firm shall, if applicable, be subject to the system of disciplinary actions or penalties referred to in Article 30.
2.The Commission may, in accordance with the procedure referred to in Article 48(2), adopt implementing measures in order to enhance public confidence in the audit function and to ensure uniform application of points (a), (b) and (e) to (j) of paragraph 1.