CSRD and EU Taxonomy reporting

Nowadays, it's almost impossible to open a newspaper without encountering an article on 'sustainability'. Whether it's in the context of the financial services industry, the broader economy, or society as a whole, sustainability has become a critical issue. In recent years, it has gained significant traction and is now recognised as a necessity rather than just a trend.

Over the past decade, the focus on environmental issues has grown exponentially, resulting in various global commitments and initiatives aimed at transforming current institutional, economic, and financial models.

This training provides a general overview of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the EU Taxonomy regulation. It focuses on how these frameworks are shaping corporate sustainability disclosures, offering insights into compliance requirements and the strategic implications for organisations. The course will delve into the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and highlight the connection between CSRD and the EU Taxonomy.

By the end of this training, participants will:

• understand the key components of CSRD and its impact on corporate sustainability reporting;
• gain a solid understanding of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) and their practical applications;
• learn how the EU Taxonomy aligns with CSRD to standardize environmental reporting;
• develop strategies for implementing CSRD requirements within their organisation, including taxonomy reporting for different sectors.

• Introduction to CSRD and ESRS
  • Overview of CSRD and ESRS requirements.
  • Applied use cases to illustrate compliance strategies.
• CSRD and EU Taxonomy reporting
  • How CSRD integrates with the EU Taxonomy regulation.
  • Understanding the taxonomy criteria for environmentally sustainable economic activities.
• Sector-specific insights: CSRD for insurance
  • Detailed discussion on how CSRD applies specifically to the insurance industry.
  • Challenges and opportunities for insurers in aligning with sustainability disclosure requirements.
• Practical implementation
  • Case studies highlighting successful implementations of CSRD and taxonomy reporting.
  • Step-by-step guidance on preparing and publishing sustainability reports.

This training is coordinated by Michael Horvath, Claire Cherpion, Julien Melotte and Julien Jacqué, Partners at PwC Luxembourg.

Michael has acquired a strong financial and regulatory audit as well as advisory background and significant experience leading projects in the asset management sphere.

In the recent past, Michael has been particularly involved in various regulatory projects related to the implementation of the EU regulatory framework for sustainable finance (i.e. SFDR, taxonomy regulation, CSRD) at entity and product level. Michael is involved in various other regulatory projects for clients, from DORA, AML/CFT regulation over CSSF circular 18/698 to MICA.

Julien is a sustainability and audit partner having more than 15 years expertise in advising or auditing large listed groups headquartered in Luxembourg. He is leading PwC’s Luxembourg corporate sustainability consulting and assurance practices with a clear focus on sustainability strategy, non-financial reporting (CSRD readiness and assurance), transformation and assurance.

He is also leading the Broader Assurance Services practice in Luxembourg with particular focus on sustainability, data assurance, IT risks and processes and controls.

As a process and controls expert, Julien manages significant finance and non-financial transformation project for clients operating in various industries.

Julien is the EMEA Sustainability in Finance Transformation Leader at PwC and is actively engaged in PwC EMEA’s CSRD Centre of Excellence. With over 12 years of consulting experience, he currently oversees PwC LU’s Sustainability Reporting and Transformation services.

Julien holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Corporate Finance and has provided extensive support to clients in the implementation of data and technology solutions. Over the past few years, he has assisted both financial and corporate clients in their sustainability journey, spanning strategy, transformation, and reporting. Julien possesses both theoretical knowledge and practical expertise in ESG regulations such as CSRD, EU Taxonomy, EU ETS, and CBAM..

Claire is a risk assurance partner at PwC Luxembourg and focuses on sustainability reporting, assurance and consulting.

With more than 20 years in auditing and advising, she supports large clients to demonstrate the robustness of their control environment and processes under the international standards such as ISAE 3000. She has developed a strong expertise in sustainability and climate reporting to advise or assess clients’ disclosures on non financial information. She is actively involved in PwC's CSRD/TCFD working groups. She is certified by Cambridge business and climate change – Towards net zero emissions.