The motion did not argue the global baseline argument that would seek alignment with the sustainability disclosure standards issued by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), but rather argued that the European Commission delegated regulation adopted earlier this year:

• introduces a high administrative burden for companies due to the high complexity of sustainability reporting standards and that most ESRS standards fall short of usable key performance indicators and thus do not serve the Commission’s goal of creating measurable and comparable standards;
• requires significant resources by companies, which is a burden especially to smaller undertakings, as the sustainability reporting standards are complex and of high quantity; and
• jeopardises the Commission’s intention to reduce red tape and reporting obligations by 25 % in the light of intra-EU and extra-EU competitiveness issues.

The vote witnessed 359 parliamentary members supporting upholding the standards, while 261 supported the motion that sought to delay or withdraw the ESRSs

Please click to access the proposed motion for a resolution on the website of the European Parliament.