We attest that the Supervisory Board’s Report on Corporate Governance sets out the information required by Articles L. 225-37-4, L. 22-10-10 and L. 22-10-9 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce).
Concerning the information given in accordance with the requirements of Article L. 22-10-9 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce) relating to the remuneration and benefits received by, or allocated to the directors and any other commitments made in their favor, we have verified its consistency with the financial statements, or with the underlying information used to prepare these financial statements and, where applicable, with the information obtained by your Company from companies controlled thereby, included in the consolidation scope. Based on these procedures, we attest the accuracy and fair presentation of this information.
With respect to the information relating to items that your Company considered likely to have an impact in the event of a takeover bid or exchange offer, provided pursuant to Article L. 22-10-11 of the French Commercial Code (Code de commerce), we have agreed this information to the source documents communicated to us. Based on these procedures, we have no observations to make on this information.
In accordance with French law, we have verified that the required information concerning the purchase of investments and controlling interests and the identity of the shareholders and holders of voting rights has been properly disclosed in the management report.
We have also verified, in accordance with the professional standard applicable in France relating to the procedures performed by statutory auditor regarding the annual and consolidated financial statements prepared in the European single electronic format, that the preparation of the annual financial statements intended to be included in the annual financial report mentioned in article L. 451-1-2 of the French Monetary and Financial Code (code monétaire et financier), prepared under the responsibility of Chairman of the Management Board, complies with the single electronic format defined in the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) no. 2019/815 of December 17, 2018.
On the basis of our work we have performed, we conclude that the preparation of the financial statements intended to be included in the annual financial report complies, in all its material respects, with the European single electronic format.
We have no responsibility to verify that the annual financial statements that will ultimately be included by your company in the annual financial report filed with the AMF (Autorité des marchés financiers) agree with those on which we have performed our work.
We were appointed as statutory auditors of Publicis Groupe SA by Annual General Meeting held on June 25, 1981 for Mazars and on June 4, 2007 for ERNST & YOUNG et Autres.
As at December 31, 2021, Mazars and ERNST & YOUNG et Autres were in the 41th year and 15th year of total uninterrupted engagement respectively (ERNST & YOUNG Audit having served as statutory auditor of Publicis Groupe SA previously, from 2001 to 2006).
Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of the financial statements in accordance with French accounting principles and for such internal control as Management determines is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, Management is responsible for assessing the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless it is expected to liquidate the Company or to cease operations.
The Audit Committee is responsible for monitoring the financial reporting process and the effectiveness of internal control and risks management systems and where applicable, its internal audit, regarding the accounting and financial reporting procedures.
The financial statements were approved by the Management Board.
