Forvis Mazars (Forvis Mazars )

Lobbying Organisation Forvis Mazars

Date published 20 Sep, 2021

Relevant Matter Legislation

Public Policy Area Economic Development and Industry

Period 1 May, 2021 to 31 Aug, 2021

Specific Details Lobbying in relation to suggested amendments to current legislation to mandate Joint Audit in certain circumstances and to lengthen the permissible audit rotation period in the case of Joint Audit.

Intended results To mandate Joint Audit in certain circumstances and to permit an extended audit tenure in Ireland where a company adopts the joint audit model for its European business. This would increase Joint Audits in Ireland and support international businesses to manage the rotation of auditors in a longer timeline, and provide the Boards of, in particular, US companies with greater flexibility in co-ordinating US and European audit teams.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Mark Kennedy, Managing Partner

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Virtual Meeting (1)

This was a follow-up meeting to discuss Mazar’s perspective on Audit Reform and how it has advanced in the last six months both in Europe and in the UK, which are the key sources of Ireland’s audit and accounting regulations. Key points discussed included • How the lack of progress in expanding meaningfully the number of market participants in the audit market poses a threat to the resilience of European economies, including Ireland. • The importance to Ireland of its a role as a ‘bridge’ between Europe, the UK, and the US, and the economic impact of possible audit failure on that role. • The increasing importance of the European “Green Deal” and the key role of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive both in furthering the goals of the Green Deal and in shaping the development of the audit market. • The role of Joint Audit as an important contributor to a more resilient audit market.

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Robert Troy Minister of State (Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment)