Auditor's Principles
            

AUDITING 2020

The 2020 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting again appointed BDO Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, Hamburg (hereinafter referred to as BDO), as Company auditor. BDO also advises the Company on individual tax matters in connection with tax returns and tax audits. Non-audit services subject to approval may only be rendered by BDO after January 1, 2020 if and provided they have been approved by the Audit Committee in accordance with the legally binding approval process. No business, financial, personal or other relationships that could cast doubt on the independence of the audit firm have existed at any time between BDO, its corporate bodies or audit managers and Software AG or the members of its corporate bodies.

Pursuant to the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting resolution, the Supervisory Board, represented by the Chairman of the Audit Committee, appointed the auditor and agreed on the fee. In connection with the awarding of the contract, the Chairman of the Audit Committee has also agreed with the auditor to comply with the reporting duties pursuant to the German Corporate Governance Code. BDO participates in meetings of the Supervisory Board’s Audit Committee concerning the Financial Statements and Consolidated Financial Statements and reports on key audit findings. The Audit Committee had no doubt as to BDO’s independence before it commissioned the firm.

BDO Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft AG has served as Software AG‘s auditor since 1997. BDO examined the Financial Statements and Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2020, as well as the Management Report, and the accounting books and records. The auditor issued an unqualified audit option. Mr. Ralf Pfeiffer and Mr. Klaus Eckmann are the signers of the auditor’s certificate and responsible for the audit at BDO. Mr. Klaus Eckmann is responsible for the audit for the third time; Mr. Ralf Pfeiffer worked on the audit for the second time on the Financial Statements.

To get more information on the complete 2020 independent auditor's report and opinion, please click here.

Software AG‘s Consolidated Financial Statements are prepared in accordance with the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), as applicable in the European Union (EU) and in accordance with the additional provisions required under German commercial law as set forth in section 315a (1) of the German Commercial Code (HGB). The IFRSs applicable as of December 31, 2020 were observed, as were the interpretations of the International Financial Reporting Interpretations Committee (IFRIC).

To get more information on our accounting principles applied, please click here.