LIQTECH INTERNATIONAL INC 10-Q

ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures Management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the design and effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures (pursuant to Rule 13a-15(b) and (c) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report. A material weakness is a control deficiency, or combination of control deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting such that there is a reasonable possibility that a misstatement of the registrant's financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. There are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system of disclosure controls and procedures, including the possibility of human error and the circumvention or overriding of the controls and procedures. Accordingly, even effective disclosure controls and procedures can only provide reasonable assurance of achieving their control objectives. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures as of March 31, 2025 were not effective as of the period covered by this Quarterly Report due to material weaknesses in internal controls over financial reporting. For more information on material weaknesses identified by management, please reference our Form 10-K filed on March 28, 2025 for the year ended December 31, 2024. Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting. Management's Remediation Initiatives In response to the identified material weaknesses, our management, with oversight from the Company’s Audit Committee, has been and will continue to dedicate necessary resources to enhance the Company’s internal control over financial reporting and remediate the identified material weaknesses. As an example of such remediation, in 2023 the Company hired additional employees into the finance department, and the Company implemented a new ERP system along with other IT programs to help reinforce its controls and processes, and these investments are an important step in the remediation of the material weaknesses. During 2022, the Company introduced an updated Delegation of Authority, with the overall purpose to provide clarity for all employees on the extent to which they can commit the Company and at the same time provide the Company with assurance that decisions about agreements are made by the appropriate functions and employees. Lastly, the Company has started the process of redesigning and ensuring documentation of all processes and procedures related to the financial reporting process to ensure the effective design and operation of process-level controls. While management believes that the actions implemented and planned will improve the overall system of internal control over financial reporting and will remediate the identified material weaknesses, these material weaknesses cannot be considered fully remediated until the applicable relevant controls operate for a sufficient period of time. Limitations on the Effectiveness of Internal Controls An internal control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur because of simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by management override of the control. The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions. Over time, a control may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. While management believes that the steps that we have taken and plan to take will improve the overall system of internal control over financial reporting and will remediate identified material weaknesses, the material weaknesses cannot be considered remediated until the applicable relevant controls operate for a sufficient period of time. 27 Table of Contents PART II - OTHER INFORMATION ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS From time to time, we may be involved in litigation relating to claims arising out of our operations in the normal course of business. For a description of contingencies, see “Note 7 – Agreements And Commitments”.