Disciplinary practices and auditors in Europe: a comparison between Germany and the Netherlands

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a comparative study on auditor responsibility within two members of the European Union: Germany and the Netherlands. Auditor responsibility is an important factor in establishing audit quality. The quality of service within the auditing profession is maintained through the promulgation of professional standards and disciplinary law. In Germany, the Wirtschaftsprüferkammer is the supervisory body which oversees compliance with standards and professional duties. In the Netherlands, a special court (Raad van Tucht) is concerned with disciplinary actions against auditors. The results of this study show that the disciplinary laws, regulations and professional codes remain basically national, despite efforts to harmonize auditing to meet an increased demand for international audits. This study identifies characteristics of disciplinary systems common to both countries and provides information on the functioning of both systems that may be useful in a number of ways. The results presented might initiate a more systematic comparison of disciplinary systems within members of the European Union, which would enhance institutional knowledge of the European market for auditing services. This in turn could promote the process of further integration of the internal European market and reduce market inefficiencies.