New reporting rules require certain large EU companies to include in their management report a non-financial statement. These companies need to begin gathering and auditing information in order to be prepared to publish the required information within good time after the end of the 2017 financial year. Frank Bold recently published a short guide on the Non Financial Reporting Directive that identifies who will be affected and explains how to comply with the new reporting requirements.
The objective of the Directive is to lay the foundation for a new model of corporate reporting that complements financial transparency with environmental and social information necessary to understand a company’s development, performance and position, as well as the impacts of its activities on society. The briefing also explores the implications of the Directive for organisations generally.
If properly implemented, the Directive will help to promote transparency and a stronger corporate governance framework that enables boards to better anticipate challenges and opportunities associated with their company’s business model. Improved and integrated disclosure of both financial and non-financial information leads to better understanding of the role of societal and environmental sustainability for delivering on the twin objectives of creation of real value for customers and wealth for shareholders.
This briefing is for general information only and is not intended to provide legal advice. For further information on the matters outlined in this briefing, please contact Paige Morrow or your usual Frank Bold contact.
The European Court of Justice has ruled that mining at Poland’s sprawling Turów coal mine must cease while the court processes a Czech government lawsuit against Poland for illegally operating the mine. The Polish mine pushes right up to the Czech and German borders and is depleting people’s water supplies and undercutting houses in nearby communities.
Local groups and NGOs including Frank Bold, that is very active in the process, welcomed the Czech government’s decision to file a lawsuit at the European Court of Justice against the Polish government for the illegal operation of the Turów lignite coal mine, which has been dug right up to the Czech and German borders, damaging local water supplies for nearby communities. This is the first such legal case for the Czech Republic and the first in EU’s history where one member state sues another for environmental reasons.
Meeting the goal of the European Green Deal to achieve no net GHG emissions by 2050 requires at least half trillion euros of additional investments in the EU every year and will involve significant market and regulatory changes targeting every sector of the economy. This will profoundly change how companies and their directors need to integrate sustainability concerns in their strategies and business decisions.