1. Before accepting or continuing an engagement for a statutory audit of a public-interest entity, a statutory auditor or an audit firm shall assess and document, in addition to the provisions of Article 22b of Directive 2006/43/EC, the following:

(a) whether he, she or it complies with the requirements of Articles 4 and 5 of this Regulation;

(b) whether the conditions of Article 17 of this Regulation are complied with;

(c) without prejudice to Directive 2005/60/EC, the integrity of the members of the supervisory, administrative and management bodies of the public-interest entity.

2. A statutory auditor or an audit firm shall:

(a) confirm annually in writing to the audit committee that the statutory auditor, the audit firm and partners, senior managers and managers, conducting the statutory audit are independent from the audited entity;

(b) discuss with the audit committee the threats to their independence and the safeguards applied to mitigate those threats, as documented by them pursuant to paragraph 1.