(12)In order to protect investors, auditors and audit entities that provide audit reports concerning the annual or consolidated accounts of companies incorporated in the third countries listed in the Annex to this Decision should be able to continue their audit activities during the transitional period in the European Union without being registered under Article 45 of Directive 2006/43/EC only if they provide the required information. Provided they give the information, those auditors and audit entities should be able to continue their activities in relation to audit reports concerning annual or consolidated accounts for financial years starting during the period from 2 July 2010 to 31 July 2012. This Decision should not affect Member States’ rights to apply their investigation and penalty systems in respect of such auditors and audit entities.