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Accounting and audit issues
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6Consolidation

As part of the process of adapting Spanish accounting legislation to EU law, Royal Decree 1159/2010, of September 17, approved the Standards for the Preparation of Consolidated Financial Statements (NOFCAC).

The most important aspects ruled by that Royal Decree in this sphere are as follows:

  • It widens the definition of “control” meaning the power to steer the financial and operating policies of an entity with the aim to obtain profits from its activities.
  • Companies are exempted from the obligation to consolidate where the parent only has investments in subsidiaries that do not have a significant interest, individually or as a whole, to present fairly the equity, financial position and results of the group companies.
  • It sets out the rules for recognizing eliminations of investments and net equity in cases of (i) inclusion of companies that constitute a business; (ii) consolidation of a company that does not constitute a business, and (iii) consolidation among companies that were already part of the group.
  • It lays down rules for the conversion of financial statements in foreign currency.

This Royal Decree applies to the consolidated financial statements, for financial years beginning on or after January 1, 2010, of the following:

  • Groups of companies, including subgroups, whose parent company is Spanish.3
  • Cases in which any parent enterprise—whether an individual or a legal entity— voluntarily prepares and publishes consolidated financial statements.
  • When consolidated financial statements are prepared and published by any individual or legal entity, to the extent that the substantive rules applicable to such entity require it to do so, or it does so voluntarily.

3 If at the year-end date, any of the group companies has issued securities admitted for trading on a regulated market of any European Union member state, only the first section of Chapter I and the first section of Chapter II are applicable obligatorily. This same criterion applies when the parent company opts to apply the international financial reporting standards adopted in European Union Regulations. The information referred to in points 1 to 9 of article 48 of the Commercial Code is required to be included in the notes to the financial statements in any event.