Simplified Sustainability Reporting Standards published in the EU Official Journal
On 21 September 2026, the revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and the Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard (VS) were published in the Official Journal of the EU, following their adoption as delegated acts on 3 July. This concludes the sustainability reporting simplification process launched by the European Commission in early 2025 under the first “Omnibus” package, in which FIEC has been involved since the start.
The revised ESRS, based on EFRAG’s technical advice, cut the number of reporting datapoints by 71% for the companies remaining in scope of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), namely those with more than 1.000 employees and an annual turnover above EUR 450 million. They enter into force on 10 November 2026 and apply to financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2027.
For companies outside the scope of the CSRD, the VS provides a simplified framework for voluntary reporting. It also underpins the “value-chain cap”, which protects companies with up to 1.000 employees from information requests by larger business partners going beyond the VS. While the VS entered into force on 24 September 2026, the cap applies to financial years beginning on or after 1 January 2027.
Access Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1563 on the revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) in the EU Official Journal here.
Access Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/1560 on Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard (VS) in the EU Official Journal here.
Access the FIEC Position Paper “A pragmatic Omnibus Simplification Package to put the EU at the forefront of Corporate Sustainability while ensuring the Competitiveness of Businesses” from January 2025 here.