As of January 1st, 2016 the new Swiss financial reporting law is fully applicable to groups of companies, leading to a more thorough regulation of their reporting rules. This foremost brings fundamental changes with regard to the preparation of consolidated annual accounts. Basis thereof is, that the duty to provide such accounts is no longer tied to the requirement of «common management» (Leitungsprinzip) but requires control of one or multiple accountable companies (Kontrollprinzip). The new laws however also affect group companies in their preparation of individual financial statements. Both these aspects are dealt with in the course of this article, that provides an overview and discusses the new legal situation for affiliated groups. It is concluded, that even though the reporting duties are now regulated in more detail, many provisions are unclear and leave room for interpretations, which is regrettable.
