Both topics will be discussed in the coming days. On Tuesday, 16 June 2026, in the Sustainability Reporting TEG we will address the results of a preliminary analysis carried out by EFRAG, intended to evaluate companies' state of readiness to assess or calculate anticipated financial effects (AFE). The topic will be discussed during the closed part of the meeting, but without breaching any confidentiality rules I can write that:
- The level of readiness to report AFE is low, although some companies have already begun preparing, for now mainly through internally conducted analyses.
- The greatest challenge is uncertainty around forward-looking information, such as the scenarios used for the analyses.
- Assessing, let alone calculating, AFE is more difficult for opportunities than for risks.
In the TEG we will discuss, among other things, what form EFRAG's support for companies on AFE should take. I am presenting the view I have held unchanged for over a year: that it should be a robustly developed methodology, which would then be made available to companies for testing (e.g. for a year), and later refined and published as non-binding guidance.
A day later, on 17 June 2026, during a joint meeting of the SR TEG and the SR Board, we will discuss the question of support for voluntary reporting by large companies that will remain outside the scope of the CSRD. There are more than 37,000 such companies across the EU, of which 22% are in Germany, 13% in Italy, 11% in Spain, 8% in the Netherlands, 7% in Poland, 6% in France, and 33% in all the remaining Member States.
EFRAG's preliminary study shows that the two main factors motivating large companies to report voluntarily are access to financing (ESG data required by financial institutions) and business partner relationships (the expectations of large corporate clients). The remaining factors are cost reduction, risk management, attracting talented employees, and the reduction of reputational and legal risk.
The main barrier to voluntary reporting is regulatory uncertainty. Companies lack clarity on how they should report under changing legislative conditions. The study also shows clearly that while the VS is a good starting point for SMEs, for large companies (and even for some medium-sized ones) it is far from sufficient. As a result, they apply various approaches: relying on the ESRS, attempting to combine the VS with the ESRS or with GRI, or additionally enriching VS-based content with disclosures from sector-specific standards in certain industries. That the VS would not be enough for large companies was already clear to me over a year ago, when the Omnibus proposal was announced. I am glad that decision-makers at the European Commission have finally reached similar conclusions, and that EFRAG can develop appropriate ways of supporting large companies that choose to report voluntarily.
Both topics, AFE and support for large companies, are at an early stage of work within EFRAG. After the preliminary studies, which we will discuss in the coming days, the SR Board will take directional decisions. So some time will still pass before we all see the results of this work. But at least the direction is right 😊
P.S. On Wednesday and Thursday (17–18 June 2026) the ESG Ideas Fair of the Responsible Business Forum takes place.If you haven't signed up yet, this is the last moment! Above all, during the event you'll be able to meet and hear John Elkington. And anyone interested in the simplified ESRS is welcome at my workshop on the second day (17 June, 10:00–12:00) and, throughout the fair, at the MATERIALITY stand, where you'll be able to see PowerESRS live, our software that greatly simplifies and speeds up the reporting process.
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