Risk management and audit

The STRABAG Group is subject to a number of different risks in the course of its business activities. These risks are systematically identified and assessed using an active risk management system and dealt with using an appropriate risk policy. More information is available in the management report.

The STRABAG Group’s internal audit department is a neutral and independent authority which again conducted approximately 175 internal audits in all corporate divisions worldwide in the 2025 financial year. In accordance with the rules of the Austrian Code of Corporate Governance, the internal audit department is set up as a staff unit of the Management Board of STRABAG SE and so enjoys the greatest possible amount of independence.

The internal audit department – after planning the audits independently and making continual adaptations to risk assessment – conducts process-independent and neutral audits across all of the Group’s divisions and regions both nationally and abroad. Given its technical and commercial competence, the internal audit department is an important element of the Group’s internal control systems. The internal audits serve to monitor the effectiveness of the risk management and controls, and to evaluate the management and monitoring processes. The comprehensive approach, the use of uniform auditing standards and the neutral reporting further contribute to the standardisation of processes and structures.

The routine and special audits serve to recognise and avoid risks, to reveal opportunities, and to constantly monitor proper conduct and compliance with the Group’s value and business compliance system. In 2025, the internal audit department again audited both individual projects as well as entire organisational units. The audits covered the Group’s subdivisions as well as the most important contracts and orders of the year.

The internal audit department reported regularly to the CEO and to the Audit Committee of the Supervisory Board regarding the audit plan and significant results of its work. The audit reports were sent to the audited operating units, to the division managers and to the Management Board, and were also made available to the financial auditors.

The Annual General Meeting of STRABAG SE on 13 June 2025, upon proposal of the Supervisory Board, designated PwC Wirtschaftsprüfung GmbH, Vienna, as auditor of the annual financial statements and the consolidated financial statements for the 2025 financial year, as well as auditor of the consolidated sustainability reporting (now in the form of a consolidated non-financial statement) for the 2025 financial year. The latter appointment was subject to the condition that such reporting is required by law to be audited by an external auditor.

The Sustainability Reporting Act (Nachhaltigkeitsberichtsgesetz, NaBeG) entered into force on 19 February 2026 and generally applies to financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2024. For financial years ending before the date of entry into force, however, a transitional provision applies, permitting the application of the relevant provisions in the version in force prior to NaBeG. STRABAG SE has therefore made use of this option and, for the 2025 financial year, will once again prepare a consolidated non-financial statement as part of the Group management report. The company prepares this statement in accordance with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). The consolidated non-financial statement also includes the required disclosures pursuant to the EU Taxonomy. A voluntary audit of the consolidated non-financial statement was carried out by PwC Wirtschaftsprüfung GmbH, Vienna.

The expenses for PwC Wirtschaftsprüfung GmbH, Vienna, including its network companies, in the 2025 financial year amounted to T€ 829 excl. VAT (2024: T€ 762 excl. VAT) for the auditing of the separate and consolidated financial statements as well as T€ 904 excl. VAT (2024: T€ 845 excl. VAT) for the auditing of financial statements at subsidiaries of STRABAG SE. For additional consulting services, including the voluntary audit of the sustainability reporting, the audit firm received a fee of T€ 709 excl. VAT (2024: T€ 551 excl. VAT).

In keeping with C-Rule 62 of the Austrian Code of Corporate Governance, STRABAG SE regularly subjects its compliance with the Code to an external evaluation every three years.

The last evaluation, for the 2025 financial year, was performed in 2026 by THALER.legal Rechtsanwalts GmbH, Vienna. The evaluation revealed no indications that the declarations provided by the Management and Supervisory Board members regarding observation of and compliance with the C-Rules of the Austrian Code of Corporate Governance were untrue. The C-Rules of the Code were complied with – provided no explanation for non-compliance was disclosed. Some rules did not apply to STRABAG SE during the evaluation period. The complete report including the results of the evaluation is available on the website of STRABAG SE. The next external evaluation will be conducted in 2029 for the 2028 financial year.