The comprehensive assessment was the "financial health check" of significant banks in the euro area and of participating countries. It consisted of two complementary pillars:

an asset quality review (AQR)
a stress test: The assessment, which began in October 2013 and lasted 12 months, covered the 130 biggest banks in the euro area. It was an important step in the preparation of the Single Supervisory Mechanism and had three main goals:
transparency – all stakeholders should be able to access information on the condition of their banks
repair – identified issues should be repaired if and where needed
confidence building – all stakeholders should be assured that banks are fundamentally sound and trustworthy   _{Your Comment}