Simplification of the EU Taxonomy Rules -
Since 2020, European Regulation 2020/852 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment (the EU "Taxonomy Regulation") established a classification of...more
12/8/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Fossil Fuel ,
Natural Gas ,
Nuclear Power ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Taxonomy
As expected, the trilogue proceedings regarding the changes to the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) ended quickly. The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union (Council) agreed to changes:...more
12/5/2025
/ Due Diligence ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Parliament ,
International Trade ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
Following the Council of the European Union's adoption of its negotiation position on the revision of the EU Regulation on deforestation-free products (EUDR) on November 19, 2025, the European Parliament adopted its...more
12/1/2025
/ Agribusiness ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Policies ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Parliament ,
International Trade ,
New Legislation ,
New Regulations ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability
After previously failing to come to an agreement, the European Parliament yesterday adopted its negotiating position on the Omnibus package. This time, the position was adopted with a resounding majority — 382 votes in...more
In a surprise move, the EU Commission changed its plans regarding the EU's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)…again....more
According to news reports, the EU Commission proposed delaying the European Union's Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) for a second time. The EUDR was already delayed by one year at the end of 2024 and is supposed to become...more
On September 10, 2025, the European Court of Justice held that the European Commission was entitled to take the view that nuclear and gas-fired power can be classified as sustainable investments under the EU's Taxonomy...more
9/22/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Investment ,
Natural Gas ,
Nuclear Power ,
Oil & Gas ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Taxonomy
As a follow-up to the political agreement reached between U.S. President Donald Trump and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen regarding cross-Atlantic trade on July 27th, 2025, the United States and the EU issued a...more
8/25/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Foreign Policy ,
Foreign Relations ,
Framework Agreement ,
Popular ,
Tariffs ,
Trade Policy ,
Trump Administration ,
US Trade Policies
Following up on its earlier clarification around future incorporation by reference under Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (the "Prospectus Regulation"), the European Securities and Markets Authority ("ESMA") published its final...more
8/12/2025
/ Capital Markets ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
EU ,
European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) ,
Green Bonds ,
Greenwashing ,
Prospectus ,
Regulation Technical Standards (RTS) ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Securities Regulation ,
Sustainable Finance
President Trump's "Working Group on Digital Asset Markets" recently released a report with a strategic roadmap to advance American leadership in digital financial technology....more
8/12/2025
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bank Secrecy Act ,
Blockchain ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
FinTech ,
Investment ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins ,
The GENIUS Act ,
Trump Administration ,
Working Groups
On August 6, the UK Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA") released its findings following a multi-firm review of climate reporting by asset managers, life insurers and FCA-regulated pension providers....more
8/11/2025
/ Asset Management ,
Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Greenwashing ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability ,
Sustainable Finance ,
Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) ,
UK
The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) published two new topic standards—GRI 102: Climate Change (2025) and GRI 103: Energy (2025). These standards will replace GRI 305: Emissions (2016), GRI 302: Energy (2016), and Disclosure...more
7/24/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Downstream Agreements ,
Energy Consumption ,
Energy Efficiency ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Infrastructure ,
Renewable Energy ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Supply Chain ,
Sustainability ,
Upstream Contracts
Although the final ESRS will not be published for several months, it is clear that these new standards will differ significantly from the original ESRS. Understandably, there has been a focus on EFRAG reducing the number of...more
The European Commission has extended the deadline for the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) to submit its technical advice on simplifying the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) under the...more
After a number of rounds of drafts, the EU Council has signed off on its position regarding the revisions to CSRD and CSDDD brought about by the Omnibus....more
6/26/2025
/ Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
New Regulations ,
Omnibus Guidance ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability
U.S. House lawmakers introduced the bipartisan CLARITY Act of 2025 proposing a comprehensive regulatory framework for digital assets that would delineate agencies' oversight roles, establish a provisional registration regime...more
6/4/2025
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
FinTech ,
Investment ,
Popular ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Reform
The EU ESG rules are undergoing extensive revision as part of the EU's “Omnibus” process that began with the European Commission's release in February 2025 of a set of amendments and has already resulted so far in a two-year...more
5/19/2025
/ Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Delays ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
European Parliament ,
New Amendments ,
Proposed Amendments ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability
Just as the European institutions adopted a Stop The Clock before a deep dive on Omnibus provisions, a coalition of NGOs filed a formal complaint on April 18, 2025, with the European Ombudsman. They claim the European...more
4/21/2025
/ Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
NGOs ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Sustainability ,
Taxonomy ,
Transparency
For those involved in corporate governance, securities law disclosures, or sustainability regulation, you are likely familiar with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (the “ESRS”) and their 1,100+ data points, at...more
4/11/2025
/ Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Financial Reporting ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Securities Regulation
On April 3, 2025, the European Parliament adopted, by an overwhelming majority, a Directive that would “stop the clock” on certain reporting requirements under the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), as...more
The European Commission proposed the EU Omnibus package on February 26 to reduce the burden, and delay application, of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due...more
4/2/2025
/ Corporate Governance ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
European Commission ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability
As currently drafted, the PROTECT USA Act, introduced on March 12, 2025, may have the unintended impact of creating a significant tension between compliance with U.S. and EU laws by U.S. and non-U.S. companies....more
The European Union published its long-awaited "Omnibus" package, proposing to delay key European ESG rules, while simultaneously reducing the applicability and burden of corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence...more
2/27/2025
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Due Diligence ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Investors ,
Omnibus Guidance ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Sustainability
New ESG regulations are expected to have a significant impact on disclosure and governance obligations for EU and non-EU companies alike, including extensive sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements on...more
12/11/2024
/ Carbon Emissions ,
Climate Action Plan ,
Climate Change ,
Coal Mines ,
Energy Policy ,
Environmental Policies ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Hague Convention ,
Infrastructure ,
Pollution Control ,
Shell Oil
As companies operating in the European Union ("EU") likely now know, new environmental, social, and governance ("ESG") regulations are set to have a significant impact on disclosure and governance obligations for EU and...more
12/10/2024
/ Business Strategies ,
Climate Change ,
Corporate Governance ,
Corporate Social Responsibility ,
Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Environmental Social & Governance (ESG) ,
EU ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sustainability