The European Commission has launched a targeted public consultation to gather stakeholder feedback on draft standards governing the limited assurance of corporate sustainability reporting across the European Union.
Under the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), large companies meeting specific size thresholds are required to disclose verified environmental, social, and governance performance data, subject to mandatory independent review by an external assurance provider.
The consultation follows the Commission’s Omnibus I simplification package, which streamlined CSRD compliance rules and confirmed that reporting entities will only be required to obtain limited assurance for their sustainability disclosures. The simplification package also formally removed the legislative option to introduce a future transition toward the more stringent and costly ‘reasonable assurance’ threshold, aiming to maintain proportionate compliance burdens while preserving independent oversight.
In drafting the proposed standards, the Commission incorporated technical advice from the Committee of European Auditing Oversight Bodies (CEAOB), aligning existing international assurance frameworks with the European Union’s specific legal architecture.
The consultation invites market participants to evaluate the CEAOB’s technical recommendations, review proposed EU-specific adjustments to international standards, and assess how the rules can operate most effectively across member states.
Participation is open to all market stakeholders, including corporate report preparers, statutory auditors, independent assurance providers, institutional investors, standard-setters, regulatory oversight bodies, and civil society organisations. The consultation window remains open for submissions until 18 January 2027.
