The "number professions", accountants and auditors, prepare for phased implementation, from 2024, of the new European directive on so-called “extra-financial” information from companies. This data must be certified by an independent third party. A change and new responsibilities for these professions previously focused exclusively on financial accounting.
The accountants and auditors of Reunion held their annual Campus on the theme of “corporate social responsibility (RSE), as a performance driver for businesses and a lever of economic development for the region”. Motif : a new stage is coming in CSR reporting with the adoption of the new European directive “Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive” (CSRD) relating to the extra-financial information which companies will have to provide. This directive must now be voted on by each of the Member States, but transposition into French law is planned for November 2023. To begin with, from January 1, 2024, the CSRD will apply to large companies. Then its scope will extend to SMEs. However, CSR reporting encompasses the entire value chain of large companies, it will also concern their suppliers and subcontractors. A new Cerfa declaration form, which will bring together extra-financial data from companies and will be added to the tax package, is currently being developed with the National Chamber of Chartered Accountants. On their side, auditors will become independent third parties of CSR certification in France. The terms of application of the CSRD provide that extra-financial information must be certified by an independent third party attesting to the reliability of the information provided., in the same way as financial information. To be continued…
