The European Council has approved the Directive, which offers a temporary relief to companies facing requirements under the CSRD and CSDDD....more
5/5/2025
/ Business Entities ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
Filing Deadlines ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Time Extensions
The European Council has approved the Directive, which offers a temporary relief to companies facing requirements under the CSRD and CSDDD....more
The Clean Industrial Deal aims to establish a joint roadmap for competitiveness and decarbonisation.
On 26 February 2025, the European Commission (the Commission) unveiled the Clean Industrial Deal (the Deal), a strategy...more
3/10/2025
/ Circular Economy ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
Energy Sector ,
EU ,
Green Technology ,
Industrial Discharges ,
International Trade ,
Investment ,
Renewable Energy ,
Sustainability
The Commission’s proposal seeks to reshape EU Sustainability requirements by amending CSRD, CSDDD, EU Taxonomy, and CBAM.
On 26 February 2025, the European Commission (Commission) published its much-anticipated first...more
3/4/2025
/ Amended Regulation ,
Carbon Emissions ,
Corporate Governance ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Renewable Energy ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Taxonomy
The Compass aims to address concerns about productivity and maintain Europe’s leading role in sustainable innovation and climate neutrality....more
2/3/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Circular Economy ,
Clean Energy ,
Climate Change ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Renewable Energy ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
Strategic Planning ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
The draft guidelines outline expectations for institutions to adopt forward-looking strategies and incorporate scenario analysis into their management framework to assess resilience against the negative impacts of ESG...more
1/20/2025
/ Banking Sector ,
Capital Requirements ,
Climate Change ,
Consultation ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
Financial Institutions ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Risk Management ,
Stress Tests ,
Sustainable Finance
Jurisdictions representing approximately 57% of global GDP have taken steps to incorporate ISSB standards into legal and regulatory frameworks.
...more
12/2/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EU ,
GDP ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
IFRS ,
Information Reports ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ,
UK
The Forced Labour Regulation creates a framework for investigation and enforcement against products made with forced labour.
On 19 November 2024, the EU Council (Council) adopted a regulation prohibiting products made with...more
12/2/2024
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Due Diligence ,
Enforcement ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Rights ,
Investigations ,
Member State ,
New Regulations ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainable Business Practices
The vote follows the European Commission’s proposal to delay application of the regulation by one year.
On 14 November 2024, the European Parliament (Parliament) voted in favour of the European Commission’s (Commission) ...more
11/19/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Due Diligence ,
Effective Date ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Parliament ,
Exporters ,
Green Initiatives ,
Importers ,
Manufacturers ,
Member State ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
The announcement follows declarations to simplify regulatory frameworks for businesses, and an overall drive to increase competitiveness in Europe.
On 8 November 2024, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen...more
11/13/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Competition ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainable Business Practices
On 17 October 2024, the UK government published “Invest 2035: the UK’s modern industrial strategy” (the strategy) for public consultation. The strategy sets out a 10-year roadmap based on goals including driving economic...more
The Commission published guidance documents to the regulation and proposed to postpone its entry into application to 30 December 2025....more
The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD, or the Directive) took effect beginning 2024 and requires mandatory sustainability reporting by a first set of companies in 2025. Under the terms of the CSRD, the...more
10/2/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
Infringement ,
Member State ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Assessment ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
The FAQs aim to clarify key aspects of the CSRD, including the scope of the rules, compliance dates, and exemptions.
On 7 August 2024, the European Commission (Commission) published a set of frequently asked questions...more
8/14/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Parent Corporation ,
Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) ,
Subsidiaries ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices ,
Third Country Entities (TCEs)
The ESPR aims to make sustainable products the norm in the EU, replacing the current Ecodesign Directive and introducing broader measures for sustainability....more
On 5 July 2024, the final text of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) was entered into the Official Journal of the EU. The CSDDD will enter force on 25 July 2024. This marks the final key step in the...more
7/15/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
Member State ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
The CSDDD is set to impose mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence obligations for in-scope companies.
On 5 July 2024, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) was published in the...more
7/9/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
Member State ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
The regulation aims to restore 20% of the EU’s land and sea by 2030 and provide a launchpad for achieving long-term nature-related goals through 2050....more
6/28/2024
/ Biodiversity ,
Critical Habitat ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Habitat Conservation Plan ,
Land Preservation ,
Marine Life Protections ,
Member State ,
Natural Resources ,
Rehabilitation and Restoration Plans
This guidance aims to support the preparation and analysis of reports using the European Sustainability Reporting Standards.
On 31 May 2024, EFRAG published the first three Implementation Guidance (IG) documents relating...more
6/19/2024
/ Climate Change ,
Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
Materiality ,
New Guidance ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Assessment ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
The Tribunal confirmed that States party to UNCLOS must take measures to prevent marine pollution caused by climate change, on top of their obligations under the Paris Agreement.
On 9 April 2024, the International...more
5/30/2024
/ Advisory Opinions ,
Climate Change ,
EU ,
European Court of Human Rights ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
International Court of Justice (ICJ) ,
Mandatory Requirements ,
Maritime Transport ,
Paris Agreement ,
Tribunals ,
United Nations ,
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
On 24 March 2024, the European Parliament approved the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) with a vote of 374 in favour (compared with 235 votes against and 19 abstentions)....more
4/26/2024
/ Compliance ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
European Parliament ,
Member State ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices
For the first time, the Court has confirmed that the adverse impacts of climate change fall within the ambit of human rights protection under the European Convention of Human Rights, obliging States to implement effective...more
The Eighth Circuit is poised to determine the fate of the SEC’s final climate regulation, potentially by the end of the year.
On March 21, 2024, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit was selected as the court that...more
4/9/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Case Consolidation ,
Chevron Deference ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Final Rules ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Statutory Interpretation ,
Sustainable Business Practices
The proposed regulation would ban forced labour-made products from the EU market, affecting companies’ supply chains and requiring compliance checks.
On 5 March 2024, the European Parliament and European Council...more
3/25/2024
/ Compliance ,
Compliance Monitoring ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
European Council ,
European Parliament ,
Exports ,
Forced Labor ,
Human Rights ,
Member State ,
Proposed Rules ,
Supply Chain ,
Third Country Entities (TCEs)
Following extended negotiations, the directive was endorsed with a significantly narrower scope that would reduce the number of companies affected.
On 15 March 2024, EU Member States endorsed the Belgian Presidency’s...more
3/18/2024
/ Belgium ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
EU Directive ,
European Council ,
European Parliament ,
Germany ,
Member State ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Business Practices