You're browsing our English site, so by default we are only showing content in English. If you'd prefer to view all available content regardless of language, please change this switch.
You're browsing our English site, so by default we are only showing content in English. If you'd prefer to view all available content regardless of language, please change this switch.
These reports, which were prepared at the request of the Commission following an invitation from the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, are an important step in the development of corporate sustainability reporting across the EU. Both reports recognise the importance of coordinating the development of EU sustainability reporting standards with existing and emerging global initiatives. EU sustainability standards are necessary to meet the political ambition and urgent timetable of the European Green Deal. They are also necessary to ensure consistency of reporting rules at the heart of the EU’s sustainable finance agenda , especially the existing Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD), the Taxonomy Regulation, as well as with the requirements of forthcoming legislation on sustainable corporate governance and due diligence.
The first report proposes a roadmap for the development of a comprehensive set of EU sustainability reporting standards. It was prepared by a multistakeholder task force established by the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG).
A second report proposes reforms to EFRAG’s governance structure to ensure that future EU sustainability reporting standards are developed using an inclusive and rigorous process. It sets out, for example, how national and European authorities will be involved, while ensuring that the process also draws upon the expertise of the private sector and civil society.
WWF, along with 44 other NGOs, has co-signed a letter recommending the European Commission to take 5 key steps on the EU Taxonomy, towards a more environmentally sustainable financial system
Publication by the Danish Institute for Human Rights: "How do the pieces fit in the puzzle? Making sense of EU regulatory initiatives related to business and human rights"
Host Richard Howitt speaks frankly and personally about what moves policy makers, businesses, and activists to make responsible business the norm and redefine business.
This discussion paper describes the outcomes of a project developed by the Danish Institute for Human Rights which aimed to use algorithm assisted analysis of a large number of company reports maintained in the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) Sustainability Disclosure Database against a set of human rights indicators to supplement qualitative analysis of company reporting.
The Platform on Sustainable Finance seeks public feedback on its draft report on minimum safeguards. The minimum safeguards set out in Article 18 of the Taxonomy Regulation require that companies implement procedures to comply with OECD Guidelines for multinational enterprises and the UN guiding principles on business and human rights.
The vote paves the way for the European Union proposal to pass into law, unless 20 of the bloc's 27 member states decide to oppose the move, which is seen as very unlikely.
The petition says “the inclusion of nuclear power in the EU Taxonomy and the EU giving its stamp on nuclear power as being green would not only undermine the credibility of the EU Taxonomy, but also leave a significant negative legacy for the future of the EU and the world.”
EFRAG is organising these workshops by webcast during June and July 2022; the application deadline for each workshop is 10 calendar days before the workshop takes place.
A month after the European Commission approved the inclusion of fossil gas and nuclear energy into the EU taxonomy, 92 NGOs and CSOs call on financial institutions to reject this greenwashing attempt by excluding both energies from their “sustainable” or “green” funds and bonds
The Platform on Sustainable Finance ("PSF") published its final report on extending social taxonomy rules. The Commission now needs to decide if and how to take forward the PSF's suggestions.
WWF condemns inclusion of gas and nuclear investments in the recently published EU taxonomy, arguing it will do huge damage to the EU and global environmental action
Japanese CSOs working on environmental and energy issues and groups of people affected by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster say in the open letter that including nuclear power in the EU taxonomy would "undermine the credibility of the EU Taxonomy" and "leave a significant negative legacy for the future of the EU and the world."
The Commission's decision to include gas and nuclear investments in the European Union's "sustainable finance taxonomy" rules was circulated in a draft proposal late on Dec. 31 and leaked to some media organisations.
Some EU governments had threatened they would block the first ‘taxonomy’ list if nuclear and gas were not included as ‘sustainable’ in the second list, which is expected to be proposed soon. In the end, 13 governments opposed it - 2 Member States short of the blocking threshold - and the proposal went through automatically.
On 12 July 2021 the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance published two reports, including a draft report on a social taxonomy grounded in human rights. The Platform welcomes stakeholder feedback on both reports.
A group of 7 MEPs signed a letter concerning EFRAG’s responsibility to ensure balanced representation of stakeholders in the work to provide technical advice on corporate sustainability standards
The EU Commission’s taxonomy, unveiled on Wednesday, introduces a labelling system for investment that could divert hundreds of billions in funds to 'sustainable' industries and companies. Environmentalists say the taxonomy’s forestry criteria are too weak because they classify industrial logging and the burning of trees and crops for energy as ‘sustainable’ investments.
The recommendations can successfully guide the EU standard-setting process, and significantly advance the quality of corporate sustainability transparency, says the Alliance for Corporate Transparency.
The reports set out recommendations to the European Commission for the elaboration of possible EU sustainability reporting standards and for possible changes to EFRAG's governance and funding if it were to become the EU sustainability reporting standard setter.
In response to a consultation on the draft delegated acts (DA) that provides much of the initial detail for the Sustainable Finance Taxonomy Regulation, the 130-strong group said the current text “ignored or weakened the Technical Expert Group’s (TEG) scientific advice for several activities”.
The criteria generally follow the recommendations from the technical expert group (TEG) that advised the Commission on its sustainable finance action plan, but deviate from them in some respects. Civil society has raised concerns that some of the thresholds deviated from scientific evidence as a result of political and industry pressure.
WWF welcomes the exclusion of fossil fuels from the draft rules, but criticises, among others, that the Commission’s proposal would allow the burning of trees to be considered ‘sustainable’.
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the first two sets of criteria for determining which economic activities can qualify as environmentally sustainable, under the EU's Taxonomy.
170 civil society groups, human rights and environmental defenders, trade unions and climate activists have published a joint statement "saying no" to the 'Omnibus' proposal announced by EU Commission President von der Leyen to amend three key legislative pillars of the European Green Deal: the CSDDD, the CSRD and Taxonomy Regulation
90+ organisations urge EU leaders to protect the sustainability reporting framework, promoting smart implementation and providing the legal certainty companies need to thrive.
The 2024 Danish Institute for Human Rights benchmark assesses the human rights policies and due diligence practices of 30 major Danish companies, measuring their alignment with global standards and contributing to discussions on responsible business conduct and the impact of upcoming EU regulations.
In their new report, frank bold shows key findings from an assessment of 100 companies’ reports in preparation for the implementation of the EU Sustainability Reporting Standards, good practice examples and recommendations to businesses, auditors and policymakers.
UNICEF’s new guidance briefs assist companies reporting under the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) by offering insights on how to integrate children’s rights into assessments, disclosures, and reporting requirements, especially in areas such as child labor, community impacts, and protections for children as consumers.
Standardised sustainability disclosures under the CSRD are crucial for the EU's economic resilience and global leadership in sustainability, write Julia Otten and Susanna Arus of Frank Bold in Sustainable Views. Policymakers should maintain a strategic vision, focusing on long-term resilience rather than short-term expediency.
The European Commission has initiated infringement procedures against 17 EU member states for failing to meet the July 6, 2024 deadline to fully implement the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) into national law.
The agreement among EU co-legislators needs to be formally voted by the Council and EU Parliament, but is expected to be in place before the EU elections this year.
However, MEPs ensured that the Commission will strive to publish sector-specific sustainability reporting standards in eight areas as soon as they are ready before the deadline.
It of critical importance to address challenges and uncertainties currently faced by companies, as well as to ensure meaningful sustainability disclosures, the statement says.
A majority of 359 Members of the Parliament voted against a motion to reject the ESRS and its replacement with an emptied and diluted piece of legislation.
Germany is seeking to exempt thousands of Mittelstand companies from EU green reporting rules, in a move officials say risks “gutting” the bloc’s efforts to hold companies accountable for their impact on the environment.
Frank Bold calls on the Commission not to disregard the political agreement reached in 2022 on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
These Standards provide more detail on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive adopted last year, while also updating them to align with new international climate reporting standards issued in June.
Eurosif welcomes the standards covering all Environmental, Social and Governance topics. Concerns remain over making all disclosures subject to materiality assessment.
The endorsed statement was developed jointly by the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA), the European Sustainable Investment Forum (Eurosif), the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change (IIGCC), the PRI and the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI).
On 9 June, the European Commission published for public consultation a draft Delegated Act on the first set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards.
Publication by the Danish Institute for Human Rights: "How do the pieces fit in the puzzle? Making sense of EU regulatory initiatives related to business and human rights"
The European Commission will now consult EU bodies and Member States on the draft standards,
before adopting the final standards as delegated acts in June 2023, followed by a scrutiny period by the European Parliament and Council.
Sustainability reporting experts and NGOs welcome the adoption of the EU sustainability reporting standards (ESRS) by EFRAG submitted this week to the European Commission. Whilst the ambition of the ESRS remains limited in several areas, they represent a major improvement for companies as well as for users of sustainability information and address the biggest problems in quality and reliability of corporate reporting.
MEPs voted today (November 10) to confirm the agreement reached earlier this summer to strengthen companies’ obligations to disclose information on their sustainability risks and impacts, and adopt mandatory EU standards covering ESG matters
The letter, signed by 37 organisations, calls on the European Commission to uphold the legal mandate agreed in the CSRD to develop and adopt an ambitious framework to improve and standardise corporate disclosure on sustainability matters
On Tuesday 21 June, the trilogue negotiations between the European Commission, Parliament and Council concluded with an agreement for the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive proposal will move to the final stage of the legislative process and enter trilogue negotiations between the EU Commission, European Parliament and the Council.
NGOs together with investors and asset managers call members of the European Parliament to broaden the scope of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) to ensure that all listed SMEs, as well as non-listed SMEs operating in high-risk sectors, are adequately incorporated in the legal framework.
The 12 signatories of this statement - who represent key users of corporate sustainability information - call on EU policymakers to promptly agree on the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive reform and support accompanying EU standards
Frank Bold's report calls on EU to strengthen Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive to effectively address barriers to supervision and enforcement of disclosure obligations introduced by EU NFRD
Business & Human Rights Resource Centre has signed an open letter alongside Wikirate, OAR and Clean Clothes Campaign, urging EU members of Parliament and the EU Commission to adopt and incorporate open data principles into the proposed Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive
The authors argue that respect for human rights is not just an ESG factor, but a global standard of expected conduct for all companies, including institutional investors.
The proposal presents several major improvements which are essential to help companies focus and report on meaningful information and channel finance to activities and projects needed to meet the objectives of the European Green Deal. However, it falls short on several important points, which significantly limit its desired impact.
The recommendations can successfully guide the EU standard-setting process, and significantly advance the quality of corporate sustainability transparency, says the Alliance for Corporate Transparency.
The reports set out recommendations to the European Commission for the elaboration of possible EU sustainability reporting standards and for possible changes to EFRAG's governance and funding if it were to become the EU sustainability reporting standard setter.
To contribute to a meaningful EU process for the standardisation of reporting requirements in favour of comparable, concise and relevant disclosure, the members of the Alliance for Corporate Transparency have combined their expertise and aligned on key priorities for reform of the EU NFR Directive and development of possible future standards.
European Financial Reporting Advisory Group publishes reports on development of EU sustainability reporting standards; NGOs welcome Project Task Force recommendations
The recommendations can successfully guide the EU standard-setting process, and significantly advance the quality of corporate sustainability transparency, says the Alliance for Corporate Transparency.
The reports set out recommendations to the European Commission for the elaboration of possible EU sustainability reporting standards and for possible changes to EFRAG's governance and funding if it were to become the EU sustainability reporting standard setter.
WWF welcomes the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group Task Force’s ambitious recommendations on sustainability reporting standards to the European Commission.