Ireland: An Euro22bn audit of CRH has been put out to tender, as mandatory rotation rules require it to replace incumbent EY. The move was announced in CRH's 2017 annual report, which said EY would have to be replaced by 2021 in order to comply with European Union (EU) rules designed to increase the independence of auditors.
Ireland has adopted a strict interpretation of the EU rules by requiring financial institutions and listed companies to replace auditors every 10 years. This contrasts with the UK's more liberal regime, which only requires audits to be put out to tender every 10 years, leaving companies free to reappoint their existing auditors. EY is based in the UK. It is possible that CRH may be seeking to reappoint a non-UK firm prior to the UK’s departure from the EU on 29 March 2019.
