EU delays sector-specific sustainability reporting standards by two years
On 7 February 2024 the Council and Parliament agreed to move the deadline for sector-specific European Sustainability Reporting Standards, and for the standards for certain non-EU companies, from June 2024 to June 2026. Companies already in scope of the CSRD still had to report under the general standards adopted in July 2023.
The Council of the EU and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on 7 February 2024 to give the Commission two more years to adopt some of the standards under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The Commission had proposed the delay in October 2023.
What changed
- The deadline for the Commission to adopt sector-specific European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) moved from 30 June 2024 to 30 June 2026.
- The deadline for the separate standards for certain non-EU companies moved by the same two years.
- The general (sector-agnostic) ESRS adopted in July 2023 were unaffected. Companies already in scope still reported under them on the original timetable.
Who is affected
Companies in scope of the CSRD, especially in sectors expecting their own standards, and non-EU groups with large EU operations.
What to do
Carry on preparing for reporting under the general ESRS. Do not wait for sector standards.
Later developments
Parliament adopted the agreement on 10 April 2024 and the Council on 29 April. The directive was published in the Official Journal on 8 May 2024. In 2025 the Omnibus I simplification package reopened the CSRD, and under the deal reached in December 2025 sector-specific reporting becomes voluntary. See our Omnibus I coverage.