The German Accounting Standards Committee (DRSC) has released a staff study examining stakeholder views on the European Commission’s proposed voluntary sustainability reporting standard (VS). DRSC staff consulted multiple stakeholder groups between October 2025 and March 2026, focusing on the standard’s suitability, practical refinements, and conceptual issues. The findings will inform DRSC’s comment letter on the EC consultation, released on 6 May 2026. Participants largely deemed the VS appropriate for voluntary sustainability disclosures, emphasizing that widespread adoption will be crucial. The standard targets companies below €450m net turnover and 1,000 employees. The EC consultation remains open until 3 June 2026, with the VS expected to be adopted by mid-2026.
In-Depth:
The German Accounting Standards Committee (DRSC) has issued a staff-led study capturing stakeholder opinions on the European Commission’s (EC) proposed voluntary sustainability reporting standard (VS).
The organisation stated the findings will support the DRSC’s comment letter on the EC’s consultation, released on 6 May 2026, which responds to the draft delegated act setting out the VS.
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The study focutilized on the suitability of the VS for the role defined by the EC, based on feedback from multiple stakeholder categories.
To compile the findings, DRSC staff held talks with several stakeholder groups between October 2025 and March 2026.
These exmodifys covered three core topics: the general appropriateness of the VS, possible practical refinements, and conceptual issues that could be considered in a future revision.
Participants in the process largely viewed the VS as fit for meeting the EC’s aims around voluntary sustainability disclosures.
They also underlined that wide recognition and utilize of the standard by different utilizers of sustainability information will be critical.
If such acceptance materialises, the VS could limit individual information requests and provide a more uniform basis for voluntary sustainability reporting.
The VS is designed for utilize by undertakings that choose to provide sustainability information on a voluntary basis.
Under the Omnibus Sustainability Package, this group includes undertakings that fall below thresholds of €450m ($529m) in net turnover and 1,000 employees.
According to the EC’s current schedule, the VS is due to be adopted as a delegated act by mid-2026.
The EC’s consultation on the proposal is open until 3 June 2026.
In March this year, the DRSC was selected to serve on the Sustainability Standards Advisory Forum of the International Financial Reporting Standards Foundation for the 2026–28 mandate.
