1. Swiss nationals with a privileged resident card or a residence permit with normal validity will, on their application, be authorised to practice in France the professions of chartered accountants or chartered accountants, subject to satisfaction, On the one hand, the conditions stipulated in Art. 3 of this Agreement and, on the other hand, the requirements of French professionals or equivalent conditions.

The applications submitted by Swiss nationals for the purpose of their installation in France to enable them to benefit later from the preceding paragraph shall be considered with the utmost benevolence and in the spirit of the General conventions concluded by the two countries.

3. The beneficiaries of this authorisation will enjoy the same rights and will be subject to the same obligations as French professionals under the Ordinance of 19 September 1945, but under the conditions and on the reserves provided for by the Convention.

1. To obtain an authorization to exercise under s. 1, Swiss nationals established in France shall, inter alia, justify, or that they fulfil the conditions of competence laid down under the n ^O 5 of the art. 3 or 9, as the case may be, of the Ordinance of 19 September 1945, that they are holders of Swiss professional or technical diplomas whose equivalence with the corresponding French diplomas has been recognised in the statement annexed to the present Convention.

(2) It is agreed that any substantial change in the programs of examination of the diplomas listed in the annexed State will, at the request of one of the Contracting Parties, result in a re-examination of all or part of the Established equivalencies, on the understanding that changes to these equivalencies will not have retroactive effect.

Authorisation to exercise may be granted to Swiss nationals only after a two-year stay in France.

2. However, this period may be reduced in favour:

A.

Professionals holding French university degrees in higher education;

B.

Professionals who hold diplomas awarded by French public education institutions providing, in whole or in part, the knowledge required for the exercise of the professions of chartered accountants or chartered accountants;

C.

Professionals who have rendered exceptional services;

D.

Professionals who have already performed in France, either on their behalf or on behalf of persons or companies specialised in accounting expertise or in the holding of accounts, work relating to the profession of public accountant or That of Chartered Accountant. The total duration of the missions carried out shall be certified, as appropriate, by the Federal Department of Public Economy ¹ .

The list of Swiss professionals residing in France and authorised to practice one of the professions of chartered accountant or chartered accountant will be listed following the table of the Order.

2. These professionals will be able to report, as the case may be, the title of chartered accountant or chartered accountant. This title may be accompanied by the mention of the French diplomas of which they are holders and of those of the Swiss university or professional degrees recognised equivalent.

In addition, it is agreed between the two contracting parties that, as a measure of reciprocity, Swiss professionals authorised to practice in France will be entitled to the same conditions and under the same conditions as French professionals:

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Ensure, where appropriate, the duties of the traineeship in respect of the expert-accounting trainees;

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Participate in regional general meetings with the same rights as members of the Ordred;

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Enjoy the right to vote for the Regional Councils and the General Assemblies of the Order.

4. They shall exercise their profession under the same conditions as French professionals, subject only to the measures which may be taken by the French Government concerning the secret of national defence.

The companies referred to in the last paragraph of Art. 26 of the Order of 19 September 1945 shall satisfy the conditions laid down, as the case may be, by s. 6, 7, 10, 11 and 15 of the said Ordinance, having agreed that, for the purposes of this Convention, the authorizations to exercise personally delivered to their associates or to their heads of Swiss nationality shall be regarded as having Place, for the latter, of the entry in the table required by the Guidelines.

Swiss professionals who do not have a habitual residence in France may, however, on their request, be authorised to carry out tasks within the scope of the activity of accountants or chartered accountants, Reservation to meet the conditions and obligations set out in ss. 1, 2 and 8 of this Agreement.

Swiss companies operating in accordance with the regulations in force in Switzerland, a profession corresponding to that of chartered accountant or chartered accountant, will be able, on their request and although not having a permanent seat in France, to be Authorised to carry out missions in the framework of the activity of chartered accountants or chartered accountants, subject to:

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To meet the conditions and obligations set out in Art. 8 below;

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To carry out these tasks by, or under the effective direction of a named delegate, personally approved by the French Government as fulfilling the conditions laid down in Art. 1 and 2 ciavant and responsible in accordance with the French regulations in force.

1. Requests for authorization shall be accompanied by any information and justification for the review, including the importance and nature of the clientele.

Authorizations to practise in France issued by application of Art. 6 and 7 above will be valid in principle for two years. They may be renewed at the request of the parties concerned.

Renewal applications submitted six months prior to the expiry date of the current authorization will be deemed to be accepted if they have not been adversely affected before the expiry of the authorization. Authorizations to exercise will be revocable if the situation or activity of the beneficiaries is contrary to professional or national regulation.

2. Beneficiaries will have to comply with this regulation in the exercise of their profession in France. They will include:

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To present to their clients total independence, appreciated both from a financial and technical point of view or from an economic perspective;

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Refrain from exercising in France, either directly or by person interposed, any activity incompatible with the rules of the Ordre;

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Provide in France the financial or other guarantees which will be deemed necessary, by application of the provisions of Art. 37, n ^O 11, of the Ordinance of 19 September 1945, to cover in conditions equivalent to those required of French companies or professionals, the risks arising from their professional responsibility;

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To provide to the Commissioners of the Government with the Councils of the Order, at the request of the Order, any documents or information that would enable the public authorities and the Order to exercise the control they would have recognized the need for.

3. They shall also:

A.

To elect a professional domicile in France, which will be subject to the control of the public authorities and the Order and where the archives concerning their activity in France will be kept;

B.

The beneficiaries of the authorizations to exercise under s. 6 and 7 may constitute in common the professional domicile referred to in the preceding paragraph. The use of this option may not, however, result in the direct or indirect failure of the conditions laid down in Art. 1, 2 and 8 of this Agreement. In particular, it will have to leave entirely the personal responsibility of each of the beneficiaries whose archives will remain distinct;

C.

To subscribe to the declarations made exclusively to the Commissioner of the Government to the Higher Council of the Order and in accordance with the model annexed to this Convention.

4. However, the obligations set out in paragraph c above, Swiss companies which will operate in France an office that is permanently open to customers and placed under the direction of at least one partner in France, shall be exempt from the obligations set out in paragraph c above. Habitual residence, qualified to incur the responsibility of the company vis-à-vis third parties, authorised in particular to sign the reports of expertise and to adopt the balance sheets and accounts, to ensure the technical, administrative and financial management of the Firm, and personally authorized to practice the profession as the object of the company.

In this case, the company may, as part of the activities of this permanent firm:

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Obtain an authorization for a term of more than two years, renewable by tacit renewal;

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Appearing on the list, published with the table of the Order, of foreign companies authorized to exercise,

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Make use, as the case may be, of the name of a corporation of accounting or business corporation of accounting;

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Ensure, where appropriate, the vocational training of trainees under the conditions laid down in Art. 4 above.

(1) The persons concerned shall be heard by the Higher Council of the Order responsible for giving the competent ministers an opinion on the follow-up which it considers should be reserved for applications for authorisation to exercise. However, the Board of Governors may delegate its powers for hearing to the Regional Council in the constituency from which the person concerned wishes to establish or exercise his or her activity.

2. The hearing shall take place in the presence of the Government Commissioner.

3. Interested persons may be assisted by a lawyer registered with a bar in France.

4. Companies shall be heard in the person of their legal representatives and their delegates to carry out the tasks they will have to carry out in France on their behalf.

5. The candidates undertake to provide to the Commissioners of the Government and to the Councils of the Order, on their request, any information or supporting documents necessary to enable the assessment of their case.

1. The applications of Swiss professionals and companies or under the supervision of Swiss nationals, who were practising in France at 1 ^Er May 1942, or who, in the past, have had to interrupt their professional activity as a result of circumstances related to the state of war, will be examined in the same spirit and according to the same criteria as those of the professionals or French companies in similar situations and benefiting from the transitional provisions laid down in Title VI of the Order of 19 September 1945.

2. In the event that the applications referred to in the preceding paragraph give rise to a decision, or reject, including the obligation to cease all independent accounting activities under their own name and under their responsibility, or authorisation To practise only the profession of chartered accountant, while the application was for the profession of public accountant, the persons concerned may be heard in advance by the representatives of the competent ministries. They may be assisted by a lawyer and by a representative of the Swiss Light. ¹

3. The situation of the Swiss professionals and companies referred to in this Article shall be settled within 6 months.