As reported by Haufe, in its committee recommendations on the national implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Federal Council (Bundesrat) has expressed concerns that the CSRD could jeopardise the sustainable transformation of the German economy, particularly due to the shortage of skilled workers. The committees recommend a review of the directive and a reduction in reporting obligations in order to reduce the burden on SMEs. A "value chain reporting cap" is also proposed to protect smaller companies from additional requirements.
SMEs that meet the requirements of the voluntary reporting standards currently being drawn up should therefore "[...] not be burdened by business partners within the direct scope of application of the CSRD with requests for information that go beyond this. In return, companies within the scope of application should be permitted to replace missing information on the basis of this regulation by referring to the limitation of disclosure obligations or, if necessary, to estimate it on the basis of reasonable assumptions that are made transparent in the report."
Another point of criticism is the auditing responsibility: the Bundesrat is calling for auditing organisations to also be included in the reporting instead of only allowing certified public accountants. The public hearing of the Legal Affairs Committee on sustainability reporting will take place in the Bundestag on 16 October 2024.
Economic actors are increasingly confronted with rising expectations regarding due diligence obligations, sustainability reports and transparent supply chains. Christopher Blauth and Jens Haasler from trade-e-bility Management Consulting will give you a bird's eye view of which requirements come from which regulatory areas, who is affected and what the implementation periods look like in their presentation "An overview of existing and upcoming sustainability and due diligence obligations – is the SME sector out? (LkSG, CSDDD, CSRD, EUDR, BattVO, CBAM, etc.)" on 19 November 2024 at the East Hotel in Hamburg.
Participation is free of charge for VERE e.V. members and customers of take-e-way GmbH and trade-e-bility GmbH. Become a VERE member now for €25 per year and also benefit from this advantage. Only a few places are still available.
