Directive 2014/95/EU: Insights into the Auditor’s Role

There has been a growing need for information in the non-financial statement to be verified by an independent assurance services provider for the issuing of a formal assurance statement. Currently in Europe, public-interest entities, are required to issue a non-financial information statement and in certain countries, such as Italy, such companies are also required to provide an independent mandatory assurance report on non-financial information. The aim of the chapter is to gain empirical understanding of how this audit is developed, the process through which non-financial information assurance operates, considering an Italian practitioners’ firm approach to assurance and the content of these audit reports. The study's contribution is to fill the gap in the assurance report preparation process in order to get insights into the reliability and the level of analysis of such reports. Interviews suggests that reporting process is a path that leads to quality non-financial information. The growing importance of non-financial information will affect the assurance in the near future.