Each month, the newsletter Beyond the GAAP aims at keeping readers informed of financial and sustainability reporting developments.
You will notably find in each issue:
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On 3 April, the European Parliament approved the Commission’s proposed “Stop the clock” directive, which is being fast-tracked through the legislative process and will postpone mandatory sustainability reporting for wave 2 and 3 companies by two years. As it has already been endorsed by the EU Council, the directive is now expected to be published in the OJEU by late April or early May. Readers will...
On 26 February, the European Commission presented its simplification proposals as part of the first “Omnibus” package, aiming to reduce the administrative burden on companies, particularly due to the CSRD and the EU Taxonomy Regulation. These proposals mark the beginning of a long legislative process that could significantly shift corporate sustainability reporting by introducing new thresholds, a...
As companies subject to the reporting requirements of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) in 2025 prepare to publish their first sustainability statements in accordance with ESRS, the European Commission has published the “Competitiveness Compass” for the EU, its roadmap for the next five years. The Compass aims among other things to reduce the regulatory and administrative burden...
Happy New Year from the Beyond the GAAP editorial team! The year 2024 concluded with the publication of targeted amendments to IFRS 9 and IFRS 7, aimed at contracts referencing nature-dependent electricity, often structured as PPAs (Power Purchase Agreements) or VPPAs (Virtual Power Purchase Agreements). These eagerly awaited amendments are detailed in this issue.
As 2024 year-end closing approaches, Beyond the GAAP presents our traditional overview of the texts published by the IASB, taking account of their endorsement process at European level. We have identified those texts that are mandatory, as well as those that are optional at this year-end.
With a few weeks to go until the 2024 year-end, the European market regulator, ESMA, has published its recommendations for 2024 reporting. These cover both IFRS financial reporting and the first ESRS sustainability statements. This issue includes special features on both sets of recommendations.
The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) has now entered into force following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union on 5 July 2024. It must be transposed into national law by 26 July 2026. This major new directive, which establishes a corporate due diligence duty, will apply to around 6,000 European companies and around 900 non-EU companies. In other European...
At the end of May, the IASB published amendments to IFRS 9 and IFRS 7 on the classification and measurement of financial instruments, which are mandatory for financial periods commencing on or after 1 January 2026. In this issue, we look in detail at the content of these amendments, which introduce some changes and clarifications relating to financial liabilities settled using an electronic payment...
In May, EFRAG issued some important documents to support large entities that are required to publish a sustainability statement under ESRS. EFRAG had first issued a compilation of explanations provided to stakeholders in response to questions posed on the Q&A platform opened last October. In addition to reproducing some of the answers already published, this compilation includes 44 new explanations...
On 9 April 2024, the IASB published IFRS 18 Presentation and Disclosure in Financial Statements, the new standard that will replace the current IAS 1. This standard, the culmination of the Primary Financial Statements (PFS) project initiated in 2015, aims to improve the comparability, quality and transparency of financial information for users of financial statements. It will apply retrospectively...
As the half-yearly reporting period draws to a close, Beyond the GAAP brings you the list of texts published by the IASB, including the IAS 12 amendments taking account of OECD's Pillar Two and the amendments to IAS 7 and IFRS 7 relating to supplier finance arrangements, both published this month. The list indicates whether these texts are mandatory or optional, depending on the progress of the European...
With the first requirements of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) coming into effect from 1 January 2024, some questions have arisen in the short term regarding the content of the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) that companies must apply in this context. The European Commission (EC) has recently stated that it plans to reduce the reporting burden on companies...
At its monthly meeting in February 2023, the IASB continued its discussions on the Financial Instruments with Characteristics of Equity project (FICE) and reached a number of tentative decisions, which we discuss in detail in this issue. Readers will recall that this project, based on a discussion paper published in June 2018, is intended to clarify the principles of IAS 32, to address the issues...
With the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) coming into effect on 5 January 2023, EU countries can now begin the work of transposing it into national law. In practice, the member states have until 6 July 2024 to transpose the CSRD and to specify certain requirements of the new directive, which some large companies will have to apply from 1 January 2024.
As 2022 gives way to 2023, the whole editorial team at Beyond the GAAP would like to wish you all the best for the coming year! While there will probably still be much to discuss on the accounting front, there is sure to be even more activity in terms of sustainability reporting, both at European and international level. In particular, the European Commission is expected to endorse the delegated acts...
As 2022 year-end closing approaches, we present our traditional overview of the new standards and amendments applicable at 31 December. Once again, no major new standards have been published this year, but disclosures are required on the impact of standards issued by the IASB but not yet effective, particularly for insurers in view of the entry into force of IFRS 17 on 1 January 2023.
The comment period for EFRAG’s public consultation on its first set of 13 draft European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRSs) closed on 8 August. EFRAG’s Sustainability Reporting Board, supported by its Technical Expert Group, now has to analyse the more than 750 responses received in order to submit the final version of its draft standards to the European Commission by next November. The EC...
In September, the IASB issued amendments to IFRS 16 on leases to clarify the subsequent measurement of a lease liability arising from sale and leaseback transactions where the lease payments are variable and not dependent on an index or rate. As requested by stakeholders, the IASB has ultimately provided no clarification on how to measure the proportion of the seller-lessee's retained interest in...
On 28 October, the EU’s financial markets regulator, ESMA, published its European Common Enforcement Priorities for the annual financial and non-financial reporting for 2022.
As we approach the half-yearly closing of accounts, Beyond the GAAP presents a snapshot of the new standards and interpretations applicable from 1 January 2022 (both mandatory and optional). In addition to this overview, we bring you a summary of the ESMA recommendations published on 13 May. The European Securities and Markets Authority has identified the key issues to address in the interim financial...
On 22 June, and after political negotiations, the European Council and Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a slightly revised version of the European Commission's initial proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), published in April 2021. In this issue, Beyond the GAAP presents the highlights of this provisional agreement so far, bearing in mind that the final text...
As reported in our previous issue, Turkey was recently added to the list of hyperinflationary economies. As a result, groups will need to apply IAS 29 to their Turkish operations for all financial periods that include 1 April 2022, notably the interim financial statements to 30 June. Beyond the GAAP provides a recap of this little-used standard, which can often prove complicated to apply.
With the war in Ukraine raging for over a month now, it is time for companies to assess the impact of the crisis on their financial statements – though obviously, not all companies will have the same level of exposure. While market regulators and national authorities have already published statements drawing entities’ attention to their duty of transparency in disclosures, there are certain issues...
While February 2022 has seen very little drama on the corporate reporting front, the current situation in Ukraine provides a stark and appalling contrast. Although the situation is changing rapidly, companies that close their accounts after 24 February must start thinking now about the impacts of these events and of the first sanctions imposed on Russia. For those whose reporting period ended before...
As 2021 gives way to 2022, the Beyond the GAAP editorial team would like to wish you all the best for the coming year! We expect another busy year in terms of accounting news, with an obvious major development being the expected completion of the Primary Financial Statements project. However, the key focus of the year is likely to be the development of sustainability reporting standards.
As 2021 approaches its close, we present our traditional year-end overview of the new standards and amendments applicable at 31 December. Once again, no major new standards have been published this year, but insurers should take note: the European Union has finally adopted IFRS 17 (with some tweaks) and it will come into effect from 1 January 2023. Early application is permitted.
At the end of June, Hans Hoogervorst, Chair of the International Accounting Standards Board, has stepped down after a 10-year tenure. Andreas Barckow, who has previously served on several IFRS Foundation advisory bodies, has taken over for a first mandate as head of the IASB as of 1 July.
In mid-July, the European adoption process for IFRS 17 took a big step forward when the Accounting Regulatory Committee voted to endorse the new standard. EU endorsement is now expected in the fourth quarter of 2021.
At the end of October, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) published its common priorities at European level for the 2021 reporting period.
While many were waiting, sometimes apprehensively, for the IASB's (tentative) decision on the reintroduction of goodwill amortisation, the Board held off at its September meeting, asking the staff to conduct further research on the subsequent accounting for goodwill.
