The Energie AG Group fully complies with its obligation under stock corporation law to establish and operate valid control and monitoring systems within the framework of corporate governance. The Internal Control System (ICS), which follows the principles of the “Three Lines of Defence Model”, forms part of this consistent management concept.
It includes all process-related monitoring measures that ensure the preservation of assets and the reliability of the accounting process. The ICS, which is well anchored in the Group, makes the best possible contribution to preventing risks inherent in processes. One material focus of Energie AG's ICS is to maintain and promote the efficiency of the operating processes required to achieve the company's goals, taking into account the ethical values of the vision and mission statement.
In the 2017/2018 fiscal year, too, continuous monitoring and regular training measures increased risk awareness and employee awareness of the quality assurance associated with it. Controls are individually designed to meet the requirements of the process and encompass both automated and manual control steps. Compliance with the principle of dual control was again taken into account in the reporting period.
The quality of the monitoring measures in the Group is ensured by the ongoing review of day-to-day business practice in the operational units, cyclical auditing by Group Internal Audit and structured and standardised reporting to the Management Board and supervisory bodies.
The legal obligation to equal treatment in accordance with the Electricity Industry and Organisation Act (ElWOG) and the Gas Industry Act (GWG) are subject to appropriate ICS controls and are monitored by the Equal Treatment Officer.
In the 2017/2018 fiscal year, the ICS audits integrated in the annual audit plan of Group Internal Audit showed a high degree of control awareness. In the period under review, special attention was paid to the Group-wide requirement for permanent process optimisation, taking into account the possibilities of digitalisation. The documentation in the respective control manuals was updated promptly.
The ICS thus met the legal requirements in the past fiscal year with the degree of maturity specified throughout the company, and the control measures were implemented at Energie AG with a high level of commitment.