Social benefits relate mainly to the employer’s share of social insurance contributions and to employers’ liability insurance association contributions. The pension expenses consist mainly of contributions to state pensions and allocations to pension provisions. Related interest is shown in the financial result. The expenses incurred in transfers to external pension funds and pension plans are likewise included in pension expenses.

Auditors’ fees in the amount of € 1.7 million (2014: € 1.4 million) were paid to KPMG AG Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft, of which € 1.3 million (2014: € 1.1 million) was for financial statement auditing services and € 0.4 million (2014: € 0.3 million) for other attestation services. For the most part, these attestation services involved the IPO of Siltronic AG.