Audit methodology for auditing financial instruments in the period 2014-2020

UPDATE: The 2021 update of the audit methodology is available here.

The audit methodology has the objective to assist the European Commission auditors and audit authorities (AAs) for their audits pursuant to Article 127 of Common Provisions Regulation (CPR). The methodology sets out the overall audit approach of the Commission services for carrying out audits of financial instruments in accordance with the applicable rules. The three annexes of the audit methodology include an audit checklist for auditing financial instruments in the period 2014-2020, a sampling methodology for financial instruments and special provisions for documentation of investments in working capital. The relevant parts of the audit checklist can also be used by the managing authorities while carrying out their management verifications under Article 125 of CPR, which shall be carried out throughout the programming period (based on the progress of implementation) at the level of bodies implementing the financial instrument and, in the context of guarantee funds, at the level of bodies delivering the underlying new loans, when applicable.