Recital 4

(4)Statutory audit requires adequate knowledge of matters such as company law, fiscal law and social law which may vary from one Member State to another. Consequently, in order to ensure the quality of the statutory audit services provided on its territory, it should be possible for a Member State to impose a compensation measure where a statutory auditor approved in another Member State wishes to be approved also on the territory of that Member State in order to set up a permanent establishment there. Such measure should take account of the professional experience of the statutory auditor concerned. It should not lead to the imposition of a disproportionate burden on the statutory auditor nor hinder or render less attractive the provision of statutory audit services in the Member State imposing the compensation measure. Member States should be allowed to approve applicant statutory auditors on the basis either of an aptitude test or of an adaptation period such as that defined in Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council ⁵ . At the end of the adaptation period, the statutory auditor should be able to integrate into the profession in the host Member State after the assessment that he possesses professional experience in that Member State.