Article 1
The following competent authorities of third countries shall be considered adequate for the purpose of Article 47(1) of Directive 2006/43/EC:
the Canadian Public Accountability Board;
the Financial Services Agency of Japan;
the Certified Public Accountants and Auditing Oversight Board of Japan;
the Federal Audit Oversight Authority of Switzerland.
Article 2
1.Without prejudice to Article 47(4) and in accordance with Article 53 of Directive 2006/43/EC, as of 29 June 2008, any transfer of audit working papers or other documents held by statutory auditors or audit firms shall be either subject to prior approval by the competent authority of the Member State concerned, or it shall be carried out by the competent authority of the Member State concerned.
2.The transfer of audit working papers or other documents held by statutory auditors or audit firms shall not serve any other purposes than the public oversight, external quality assurance or investigations of auditors and audit firms.
3.Where audit working papers or other documents held by statutory auditors or audit firms are exclusively held by a statutory auditor or audit firm registered in a Member State other than the Member State where the group auditor is registered and whose competent authority has received a request from any of the authorities referred to in Article 1, such papers or documents shall be transferred to the competent authority of the third country concerned only if the competent authority of the first Member State has given its express agreement to the transfer.
Article 3
This Decision is addressed to the Member States.
Done at Brussels, 5 February 2010.
For the Commission
Charlie McCreevy
Member of the Commission