The International Auditing and Assurance Standards Board (IAASB) has issued a new set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to help stakeholders understand how the International Standard on Sustainability Assurance (ISSA™ 5000) can support consistent, high-quality assurance engagements within the European Union (EU).
The FAQs aim to enhance users’ confidence in sustainability information prepared under the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and to clarify the standard’s relevance to assurance engagements required by the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
ISSA 5000, formally titled General Requirements for Sustainability Assurance Engagements, was developed by the IAASB and issued in November 2024. The standard becomes effective for assurance engagements covering periods beginning on or after 15 December 2026, or as at a specific date on or after that time.
The new FAQs provide a high-level understanding of how ISSA 5000 can be applied in the EU context, including how it addresses region-specific issues such as materiality, scalability, and interoperability with other sustainability frameworks. They also outline the IAASB’s due process and stakeholder consultations in developing the standard.
Importantly, the IAASB emphasises that the FAQs do not amend or override ISSA 5000, the text of which remains the sole authoritative source. The document is intended to complement the standard, not replace it, and reading the FAQs should not be considered a substitute for reviewing the full text of ISSA 5000. The publication is not an official or binding pronouncement of the IAASB.
