Recital 13

In order to ensure respect for the rights guaranteed by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (the ‘Charter’), in the case of auditors, external accountants and tax advisors who, in some Member States, are entitled to defend or represent a client in the context of judicial proceedings or to ascertain a client’s legal position, the information they obtain in the performance of those tasks should not be subject to reporting obligations. However, the same exceptions that apply to notaries and lawyers should also apply to those professionals where they act in the exercise of the right of defence or when they ascertain the legal position of a client.