Sustainability:
European Commission adopts delegated Acts on the simplified ESRS and the voluntary Standard
On 3 July 2026, the European Commission adopted the delegated regulation adopting the revised European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).
Compared to the consultation drafts published in May 2026, which were based on EFRAG’s technical advice (“New on WPK.de” from 8 May 2026, in German), the European Commission has made a number of specific adjustments, including
- further clarified the requirements for applying the materiality principle,
- extended the transitional relief for reporting on expected financial effects by another year, and
- brought the rules on reporting greenhouse gas emissions more closely in line with international standards.
An accompanying “Staff Working Document” explains the European Commission’s changes compared to EFRAG’s technical recommendation.
In addition, the Commission has adopted a delegated regulation on the Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard (VS).
Review of the Legal Acts by the Parliament and the Council
Both legal acts will now be submitted to the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union for review. The review period is two months and may be extended by an additional two months. Provided no objections are raised, the legal acts will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union. They will enter into force three days after their publication.
Since these are delegated regulations, transposition into national law is not required.