GB00_erste lage_E - Erste Group

AUDITORS’ REPORT
Auditors’ Report
We have audited the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements of Erste Bank der oesterreichischen
Sparkassen AG (the Erste Bank Group) as of 31 December 2000 and 31 December
1999 comprised of the Balance Sheet as of 31 December 2000 and 31 December 1999, and
the Income Statements, Statements of Changes in Equity, Cash Flow Statements and Notes for
the years ended 31 December 2000 and 31 December 1999.
These Consolidated Financial Statements are the responsibility of the Managing Board. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these Financial Statements based on our audit.
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (ISA) of the International
Federation of Accountants (IFAC). Those standards require that we plan and perform the
audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the Financial Statements are free of material
misstatements. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts
and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting
principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for
our opinion.
128 Erste Bank 2000