The annual financial statements and the Group financial statements are prepared by the Executive Board, reviewed by the Supervisory Board and audited by the auditors. The audit procedures are in accordance with German auditing regulations and German generally accepted standards for the audit of financial statements promulgated by the Institut der Wirtschaftsprüfer (the Institute of Public Auditors in Germany) and, in the case of the Group financial statements, in supplementary compliance with International Standards on Auditing. The audit procedures include a review of the system for the early identification of risks. The Audit Committee meets the Executive Board to discuss the interim and half-year financial reports in detail prior to publication.
In May 2011, the Supervisory Board issued the mandate for the audit of the annual financial statements and Group financial statements to KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, Berlin, who had been appointed at the Annual General Meeting as auditors of the annual financial statements and Group financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2011 and had also been appointed to conduct audit reviews of the interim and half-year financial reports for the 2011 financial year. The auditors issued a detailed declaration confirming their independence to the Audit Committee of the Supervisory Board. There were no conflicts of interest. It was agreed with the auditors that the Chairman of the Supervisory Board and the Chairman of the Audit Committee would be informed immediately during the audit of any potential reasons for the disqualification of the auditors or for their lack of impartiality, unless these could be eliminated without delay. The auditors were obliged to report immediately all the significant audit findings and events arising from the audit which have an impact on the duties of the Supervisory Board. The auditors have also undertaken to inform the Supervisory Board if they discover facts in the course of their audit which reveal any inaccuracies in the company’s declaration of compliance with the Code.
Linde has reporting, monitoring and risk management systems in place which are continually being updated and adapted by the Executive Board to take account of changing circumstances. The effectiveness of these systems is reviewed by the auditors both in Germany and abroad. The Audit Committee supports the Supervisory Board in monitoring the activities of executive management and also deals with risk management issues. It receives regular reports from the Executive Board about risk management, the risk position, and the identification and monitoring of risks. In addition, it is informed on a regular basis about existing risks and the evolution of those risks. Moreover, the Audit Committee has agreed with the auditors that, if necessary, they will report to the committee any significant weaknesses they might identify in the internal control and risk management systems relating to the accounting process. More details about risk management in The Linde Group are given in the Risk report. This includes the report on the accounting-related internal control system and the risk management system.
