Accounting principles

As goodwill is fully offset in equity at the date of acquisition, an impairment of goodwill does not affect income; it is only disclosed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Goodwill represents the excess of the consideration transferred, the amount of any non-controlling interest in the acquired entity, and the book value as at the acquisition date of any previous equity interest in the acquired entity over the fair value of the Group’s share of the identifiable net assets acquired. Only intangible assets purchased separately are recognized as part of an acquisition. The positive or negative goodwill resulting from acquisitions is offset in equity at the date of acquisition against retained earnings.

If the purchase price contains elements that are dependent on future results, they are estimated as accurately as possible at the date of acquisition and recognized in the balance sheet. In the event of any disparities when the definitive purchase price is settled, the goodwill offset in equity is adjusted accordingly. The consequences of a theoretical capitalization and amortization of goodwill are explained in the note on the theoretical movement of goodwill.