Editorial Reporting Trends & Solutions 1/2025

 

Dear Readers,

The area of corporate reporting is currently characterized not only by the usual annual phase of preparing and auditing financial statements, but also by news from the European Union regarding the possible future reduction of reporting obligations in the area of sustainability. At the end of February, the European Commis­sion presented the draft for the first package of its omnibus initiative. This provides for far-reaching simplifica­tions in the areas of ESG reporting (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, CSRD, and European Sustai­na­bility Reporting Standards, ESRS), due diligence obligations (Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, CSDDD) and the EU taxonomy. For example, the scope of application of the CSRD is to be harmo​­nized with that of the CSDDD. We have summarized further details on this and the potential impact on your company and your processes in the area of sustainability reporting in our article ‘Omnibus initiative: EU Commission publishes drafts to simplify the CSRD, EU taxonomy and CSDDD’.

Irrespective of these developments, the topic of ‘sustainability’ remains relevant. In this first issue of 2025, we therefore focus in particular on the impact of ESG aspects on various fields of corporate reporting and their audit.

In our ‘Trends & Solutions’ section, we take a look at the twin transformation and the interplay between generative artificial intelligence and sustainability, at software solutions for ESG reporting (using Lucanet as an example), at accounting for ESG-linked loans in accordance with the German Commercial Code (HGB) and IFRS and at the importance of ESG factors in corporate valuation​.

In our ‘Reporting News’ section, we have also briefly summarized the following important topics for you: New develop­ments from the Institute of Public Auditors in Germany (IDW) on accounting issues relating to commercial partnerships, the impact of interest rate trends on pension obligations in HGB financial statements, the suspension of administrative fine procee­dings for late disclosure in certain cases​, amendments to IFRS 9 and IFRS 7 regarding nature-dependent electricity supply contracts and smart solutions for your financial and liquidity planning. 

We hope that this issue – along with various other current developments – will provide you with an overview of the continued importance of ESG matters ​and help you find your way around. If you have any questions or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact us or our experts directly. Even though ESG regulation in particular continues to develop very dynamically, the topic of sustainability in general is here to stay – and we will always be at your side on the sustainability journey.

Yours 

Martin Wambach & Prof Dr Bernd Keller