1. Member States shall ensure that the financial statements of public-interest entities, medium-sized and large undertakings are audited by one or more statutory auditors or audit firms approved by Member States to carry out statutory audits on the basis of Directive 2006/43/EC.

The statutory auditor(s) or audit firm(s) shall also:

(a) express an opinion on:

(i) whether the management report is consistent with the financial statements for the same financial year, and

(ii) whether the management report has been prepared in accordance with the applicable legal requirements, excluding the requirements on sustainability reporting laid down in Article 19a of this Directive;