FAQ item index

Search every question across sub-FAQs

Find the exact question, open the source answer card, and copy a direct link to the anchored sub-FAQ response.

Indexed coverage
55of55items
Across 13 modules • Updated Jul 24, 2026
Author
Sorena AI
Published
May 9, 2026
Updated
Jul 24, 2026
EU Taxonomy auditor evidence: what to keep for alignment review

What should teams do about auditor evidence under the EU Taxonomy Regulation?

Build the evidence file around the four alignment conditions in Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852: substantial contribution to at least one environmental objective, no significant harm to the other objectives, compliance with minimum safeguards, and compliance with the Commission's technical screening criteria.

Do not describe every review as a mandatory audit. The Commission's Climate Delegated Act notice says some technical screening criteria contain specific verification requirements for certain activities; where the criteria require verification, the external verifier's report is evidence of compliance. For other activities, the file still needs enough documentation to let a reviewer trace the eligibility, alignment, DNSH, safeguards, and KPI decisions.

  • Map the reported activity to the delegated-act activity description and environmental objective before collecting evidence.
  • Keep the technical screening criteria applied, the supporting data, and the conclusion for substantial contribution and DNSH in one review record.
  • Attach minimum-safeguards evidence that shows procedures aligned with Article 18 references to OECD Guidelines, UN Guiding Principles, ILO fundamental principles and rights, and the International Bill of Human Rights.
  • Add verifier reports only where the applicable technical screening criteria require external verification.
Citations
EU Taxonomy auditor evidence: what to keep for alignment review

Which evidence belongs in a review-ready Taxonomy file?

A review-ready file should let a person who was not involved in the original assessment reproduce the conclusion. Start with the activity boundary and the applicable delegated-act criteria, then connect each data point to the published disclosure line or KPI value it supports.

For Article 8 reporting, non-financial undertakings disclose turnover, CapEx, and OpEx proportions associated with environmentally sustainable economic activities. The Disclosures Delegated Act also requires contextual information for financial undertakings, including scope, data sources, and limitations, so evidence should preserve the source and limitations behind each KPI.

Where Regulation (EU) 2026/73 is used to leave non-material activities unassessed, the review file should not imply that those activities failed eligibility or alignment. Retain the relevant KPI denominator, the cumulative 10% test, the activities omitted from assessment, and the amount reported separately as non-material.

  • Activity scoping: legal entity, business line, activity description, objective, and applicable delegated act section.
  • Eligibility and alignment matrix: substantial-contribution criteria, DNSH criteria, minimum-safeguards check, and conclusion.
  • KPI support: turnover, CapEx, OpEx, GAR, GIR, or other applicable Article 8 calculation support, including allocation logic.
  • Data provenance: source systems, external data providers, study references, estimates used, and known data limitations.
  • Disclosure bridge: where each evidence item appears in the management report, sustainability statement, Taxonomy table, or narrative explanation.
  • Non-materiality record where used: KPI-specific threshold calculation, unassessed population, denominator treatment, and separate disclosure.
Citations
EU Taxonomy auditor evidence: what to keep for alignment review

How should teams handle technical screening criteria and DNSH evidence?

Treat every technical screening criterion as an evidence requirement, even when the criterion does not prescribe a formal verifier. The Climate Delegated Act notice says compliance checking requires collecting and assessing relevant information; it also explains that all substantial-contribution criteria, DNSH criteria, and minimum social safeguards must be met for an activity to be considered Taxonomy-aligned.

Evidence depth should match the criterion. For example, the Commission notice discusses adequate evidence for building top-15-percent assessments, coherent adaptation plans for DNSH climate adaptation where climate risks are identified, and supplier information or testing for some Appendix C pollution-prevention checks.

  • Keep the exact criterion text or citation used for each activity and reporting period.
  • Record the data, certificate, technical study, supplier statement, test result, adaptation plan, or verifier report used to support each criterion.
  • Separate evidence for substantial contribution from DNSH evidence so a reviewer can see that both tests were performed.
  • Reassess dynamic criteria when criteria change or an activity falls out of compliance; do not rely on a stale historic conclusion for current alignment.
Citations
EU Taxonomy auditor evidence: what to keep for alignment review

What is the most common mistake with Taxonomy auditor evidence?

A broad sustainability policy does not prove that a specific activity is Taxonomy-aligned. It does not show how the activity met the relevant technical screening criteria, DNSH checks, minimum safeguards, and KPI allocation rules.

A stronger file is narrower and more traceable: it names the activity, the criteria version, the reporting period, the data source, the calculation or allocation method, the reviewer, and the unresolved limitations. For CapEx allocated across mixed-use assets, the Commission notice says the allocation methodology should be based on verifiable evidence.

  • Avoid claiming external audit or assurance is required for every Taxonomy decision unless the applicable criterion or reporting rule says so.
  • Avoid unsupported allocations of mixed-use CapEx, OpEx, revenue, or assets; preserve the non-financial metric and methodology used.
  • Avoid relying on proxies where the Commission guidance says adequate evidence, a technical study, or the specified certificate is needed.
  • Avoid dropping data limitations from the final disclosure narrative when they affected the KPI or alignment conclusion.
Citations
EU Taxonomy CapEx Plans FAQ: Article 8 CapEx KPI

When should teams use the CapEx plan route?

Use the CapEx plan route only when the CapEx KPI numerator is relying on Annex I Section 1.1.2.2 point (b): expenditure that is part of a plan to expand Taxonomy-aligned activities or upgrade Taxonomy-eligible activities so they become Taxonomy-aligned.

Do not use the label for every sustainability budget. Annex I also has separate CapEx numerator routes for assets or processes already associated with Taxonomy-aligned activities and for certain purchases of Taxonomy-aligned output or individual measures. The record should identify which route is being used before the amount is reported.

From 1 January 2026, Regulation (EU) 2026/73 permits a non-financial undertaking to omit eligibility and alignment assessment for activities whose cumulative CapEx is below 10% of the CapEx KPI denominator. The amount remains in the denominator and must be reported separately as non-material. This option does not turn unassessed expenditure into CapEx plan expenditure or Taxonomy-aligned CapEx.

  • Confirm the undertaking is reporting Article 8 turnover, CapEx, and OpEx KPIs.
  • Map the expenditure to a Taxonomy economic activity and environmental objective.
  • Classify the amount as already aligned CapEx, CapEx plan expenditure, or purchase of aligned output and individual measures.
  • Use the CapEx plan route for multi-period expansion or upgrade cases where the activity is expected to become Taxonomy-aligned.
  • Keep eligibility, alignment, DNSH, minimum safeguards, and CapEx-plan treatment separate in the evidence file.
  • If using the 2026 non-materiality option, retain the CapEx denominator, cumulative 10% test, unassessed activity list, and separate non-material amount.
Citations
EU Taxonomy CapEx Plans FAQ: Article 8 CapEx KPI

What must a qualifying CapEx plan show?

The plan must aim either to expand Taxonomy-aligned economic activities or to upgrade Taxonomy-eligible economic activities so they become Taxonomy-aligned within five years. A longer period is allowed only where objectively justified by specific features of the activity and upgrade, with a maximum of 10 years.

The plan also has to be disclosed at economic-activity aggregated level and approved by the management body of the non-financial undertaking, directly or by delegation. Commission guidance says the five-to-ten-year period starts from that approval.

  • Economic activity, environmental objective, and applicable delegated-act activity description.
  • Management-body or delegated approval record and approval date.
  • Planned measures needed to meet the relevant technical screening criteria.
  • Expenditure related to those measures and their timing, including significant interim milestones.
  • Objective justification in the plan and contextual information if the expected alignment period exceeds five years.
Citations
EU Taxonomy CapEx Plans FAQ: Article 8 CapEx KPI

What evidence should sit behind the CapEx KPI?

The evidence should connect the legal route to the accounting amount. Annex I defines the CapEx denominator by reference to additions to tangible and intangible assets during the financial year, and the undertaking should explain how CapEx was determined, allocated to the numerator, and linked to related line items.

For CapEx plan items, keep a register that can be read at activity level. The Commission Notice says different CapEx items under points (a), (b), and (c) of Section 1.1.2.2 must be presented at activity level, with values explained in the specifications and contextual information.

  • CapEx denominator workbook and related financial-statement line-item references.
  • Activity-level allocation showing which amounts fall under Section 1.1.2.2 points (a), (b), or (c).
  • CapEx plan record with objectives, activities, planned measures, timing, expected expenditure, and approval evidence.
  • Technical screening criteria evidence for the activity expected to become Taxonomy-aligned.
  • Double-counting control across activities, objectives, turnover, CapEx, and OpEx.
  • Published contextual explanation for methodology, allocation, material changes, and restatements.
Citations
EU Taxonomy CapEx Plans FAQ: Article 8 CapEx KPI

What changes require update or restatement?

If relevant technical screening criteria are amended before completion of the CapEx plan, Annex I requires the undertaking either to update the plan within two years so the activities are aligned with the amended criteria at completion, or to restate the CapEx KPI numerator. Updating the plan restarts the plan period.

If the CapEx plan fails to meet the stated conditions, the previously published CapEx KPI must be restated. Teams should therefore monitor delegated-act changes, plan delays, scope changes, and implementation changes during each reporting cycle.

  • Track technical screening criteria amendments for every activity covered by a CapEx plan.
  • Record whether the response is a plan update within two years or a CapEx KPI numerator restatement.
  • Disclose material changes in the plan and the reasons for those changes.
  • Explain the impact on the activity becoming Taxonomy-aligned and the expected timing.
  • Restate CapEx and OpEx KPIs for past reporting years covered by the plan when changes affect those KPIs.
Citations
EU Taxonomy CapEx Plans FAQ: Article 8 CapEx KPI

What mistakes should teams remove before publication?

Do not treat a broad transition budget, green-finance deck, or capital-allocation narrative as a Taxonomy CapEx plan without the Annex I evidence. A useful public answer should say which activity is affected, which CapEx route applies, what approval exists, what measures are planned, and how the amount flows into the KPI.

Teams should also avoid overclaiming. Eligibility does not prove alignment, a financing source does not make CapEx aligned, and prepayments should not be counted until the related CapEx is recognised under the relevant accounting standards.

  • Remove unsupported claims that all planned transition spend can be counted as Taxonomy-aligned CapEx.
  • Do not include decorative or unrelated facility spend in a CapEx plan if it does not help meet the technical screening criteria.
  • Do not omit the approval date, because the plan period starts from approval.
  • Do not combine several activities into one number unless the activity-level presentation and allocation method remain clear.
  • Do not count mixed-use asset CapEx without a non-financial allocation metric based on verifiable evidence.
Citations
EU Taxonomy delegated act changes: what teams should check

What should teams do when EU Taxonomy delegated acts change?

Start from the official Commission delegated-acts page and the relevant EUR-Lex act, not from a saved copy of an old checklist. Regulation (EU) 2020/852 gives the Commission power to specify technical screening criteria and Article 8 disclosure information through delegated acts, so a change can affect both activity assessment and reporting presentation.

Classify the update before changing workflows. The Commission page captured in the cited source material lists adopted and published acts, but it also listed proposed amending delegated regulations on 17 March 2026 that were open for public feedback until 14 April and were not yet adopted or in force until publication in the Official Journal.

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/73 is a current example: it was published on 8 January 2026, applies from 1 January 2026, and allows the rules applicable on 31 December 2025 to be used for a financial year starting during 2025. It adds KPI-specific non-materiality options, changes financial-KPI scope and templates, and replaces specified generic DNSH criteria.

  • Confirm the source status: proposed, adopted, published in the Official Journal, applicable, corrected, or amended.
  • Map the act to the affected object: Climate Delegated Act criteria, Environmental Delegated Act criteria, Disclosures Delegated Act templates, DNSH criteria, or Article 8 KPIs.
  • Record the application date separately from the adoption or publication date.
  • Update only affected activities and disclosures; keep unchanged activity conclusions intact unless the source change reaches them.
  • Retain the official URL, short quote, affected internal owner, and evidence-change decision.
  • For a 2025 financial year, document whether the undertaking uses the amended rules or the 31 December 2025 version permitted by Regulation (EU) 2026/73.
Citations
EU Taxonomy delegated act changes: what teams should check

Which delegated-act changes are visible in the official cited sources?

The cited sources support a narrow list of changes and milestones. The Commission delegated-acts page was last updated on 17 March 2026 and listed Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2026/73, Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/3215, Delegated Regulations (EU) 2023/2486 and 2023/2485, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/1214, and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2178.

For current-status language, avoid saying that a proposal is already binding unless the official page or EUR-Lex act shows adoption, publication, and entry into force. The March 2026 feedback items in the source support were explicitly described as proposed amendments that were not yet adopted and not in force.

  • 2026/73: published in the Official Journal on 8 January 2026, amending the Disclosures Delegated Act and simplifying certain technical screening criteria for DNSH.
  • 2024/3215: published in the Official Journal on 19 December 2024, correcting certain language versions of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2139.
  • 2023/2486: published in the Official Journal on 21 November 2023 as the Environmental Delegated Act, with criteria for water, circular economy, pollution prevention and control, and biodiversity.
  • 2023/2485: published in the Official Journal on 21 November 2023, amending the Climate Delegated Act by adding technical screening criteria for certain activities.
  • March 2026 proposals: public feedback was open until 14 April for proposed usability amendments to Delegated Regulations (EU) 2021/2139 and (EU) 2023/2486; source support does not support treating them as adopted.
Citations
EU Taxonomy delegated act changes: what teams should check

How should teams decide what to re-check?

Do not reopen every Taxonomy conclusion by default. Re-check conclusions where the delegated act changes the applicable activity description, substantial-contribution criteria, DNSH criteria, minimum documentation expectation, Article 8 disclosure template, KPI methodology, or language that your local assessment relied on.

The Taxonomy Regulation says the technical screening criteria should be regularly reviewed and, where appropriate, delegated acts amended in line with scientific and technological developments. Keep that review log in the evidence file so later reviewers can trace each version decision.

  • Eligibility: check whether the activity description, sector boundary, or NACE mapping changed.
  • Alignment: re-test substantial-contribution and DNSH criteria for affected activities only.
  • Disclosure: check Article 8 templates, KPI presentation, and qualitative disclosure requirements when the Disclosures Delegated Act changes.
  • Evidence: update source citations, screenshots or extracts, reviewer notes, and version dates used in assessment files.
  • Claims: remove or qualify website, sales, investor, or product statements that cite superseded criteria.
Citations
EU Taxonomy delegated act changes: what teams should check

What evidence should be retained after a delegated-act review?

Keep the review evidence specific enough that a later reviewer can see why a conclusion changed or why no change was needed. The record should distinguish legal source status from internal implementation status.

For proposals and public-feedback items, retain a watch note rather than changing binding controls too early. For published acts, retain the Official Journal publication reference, application date, affected criteria, and the exact assessment files changed.

  • Official source URL with ref=sorena.io and the date the team checked it.
  • Delegated act identifier, affected prior act, and status: proposal, adopted, published, applicable, correction, or amendment.
  • Affected activities, objectives, DNSH checks, disclosures, KPIs, and public claims.
  • Before-and-after conclusion for each affected assessment, including no-change decisions.
  • Owner, approval date, and next review trigger for future delegated acts or Commission notices.
Citations
EU Taxonomy eligibility vs alignment: what is the difference?

What is the difference between Taxonomy eligibility and alignment?

Taxonomy eligibility is about coverage. For Article 8 reporting, teams first map an economic activity to the activities described in the Taxonomy delegated acts and classify it as eligible or non-eligible for the relevant KPI or exposure.

Taxonomy alignment is a higher bar. Article 3 says an economic activity qualifies as environmentally sustainable only where it contributes substantially to one or more Article 9 environmental objectives, does no significant harm to the other objectives, complies with minimum safeguards, and meets the technical screening criteria established by the Commission.

  • Do not use an eligible activity label as a sustainability claim by itself.
  • Run eligibility before alignment, because an alignment assessment needs the relevant delegated-act activity and criteria.
  • Keep non-eligible, eligible-not-aligned, and aligned amounts separate in Article 8 evidence and explanations.
Citations
Regulation (EU) 2020/852 (Taxonomy Regulation)

Article 3 provides the four conditions for an economic activity to qualify as environmentally sustainable; Article 8 requires undertakings in scope to disclose how and to what extent their activities are associated with environmentally sustainable economic activities.

EU Taxonomy eligibility vs alignment: what is the difference?

How should teams apply the distinction in Article 8 reporting?

For non-financial undertakings, Article 8 focuses on the proportions of turnover, capital expenditure, and operating expenditure associated with environmentally sustainable economic activities. The Disclosures Delegated Act and Commission FAQ explain that eligibility is reported before or alongside alignment, but eligibility reporting is not the same as proving alignment.

For financial undertakings, the Article 8 framework uses financial KPIs that look through to financed or invested activities. The financial KPI should show whether the underlying activity or exposure is non-eligible, eligible but not aligned, aligned, or left unassessed under a specific reporting option.

Regulation (EU) 2026/73 adds a separate state from 1 January 2026: non-assessed because the activity or exposure is considered non-material under a KPI-specific option. For non-financial undertakings, the cumulative turnover or CapEx threshold is 10% of the respective denominator, with a corresponding rule for material OpEx. These amounts stay in the denominator and are reported separately; they must not be relabelled as eligible, aligned, non-aligned, or non-eligible.

  • Map each activity or exposure to the delegated-act activity description before calculating eligible amounts.
  • Only report aligned amounts where the activity-specific technical screening criteria, DNSH criteria, and minimum safeguards assessment are evidenced.
  • Document the KPI basis used, such as turnover, CapEx, OpEx, total assets, GAR, or other financial-undertaking templates that apply to the reporting entity.
  • Keep non-assessed non-material amounts separate from failed or incomplete alignment assessments.
Citations
FAQs on Article 8 eligibility reporting

Commission FAQ explains that large undertakings reported eligible and non-eligible activities first, and were not required in that initial phase to assess Taxonomy alignment.

Page 2 of 4