EU Taxonomy vs CSRD Article 8 reporting comparison
Separate EU Taxonomy classification and key performance indicator (KPI) work from the current Accounting Directive rules that determine which undertakings report sustainability information and how disclosures enter that report.
Use this matrix to decide what must be assessed as Taxonomy-eligible or Taxonomy-aligned, what belongs in sustainability reporting, and where evidence can be reused.
The EU Taxonomy classifies environmentally sustainable economic activities, and turns the assessment into undertaking KPIs. The Accounting Directive, as amended by and later legislation, determines the current sustainability-reporting population, report location, and assurance framework. Under the consolidated text dated 18 March 2026, the central Article 19a test requires both net turnover above EUR 450 million and more than 1,000 employees; group, legal-form, exemption, third-country, and national-transposition rules still need separate checking. An undertaking in scope must still prepare Taxonomy-specific eligibility, alignment, KPI, do-no-significant-harm (DNSH), and minimum-safeguards evidence.
Comparison matrix
EU Taxonomy vs CSRD: what changes and what does not
Read each row as a control design prompt: keep the Taxonomy assessment distinct, then map only the -linked reporting and assurance effects that are supported by the guidance.
Use the Taxonomy column to assess economic activities, technical screening criteria, DNSH, minimum safeguards, and KPIs such as turnover, CapEx, OpEx, GAR, and other financial undertaking ratios.
Second framework
CSRD
Use the column for the current Accounting Directive reporting perimeter, management-report requirements, consolidated reporting, electronic reporting, exemptions, and assurance framework.
EU Taxonomy vs CSRD: what changes and what does not
The EU Taxonomy is a classification system for environmentally sustainable economic activities. A Taxonomy analysis asks whether an activity is eligible and, if assessed for alignment, whether it substantially contributes to an environmental objective, meets DNSH criteria, satisfies technical screening criteria, and complies with minimum safeguards.
Commission overview of the Taxonomy as a list of sustainable activities with technical screening criteria.
six climate and environmental objectives
is not an activity-classification test. It amended the Accounting Directive's sustainability-reporting rules, including the information placed in the management report, double-materiality reporting, electronic reporting, and assurance. Later amendments changed the population and related requirements, so the current consolidated Accounting Directive is the starting point for scope.
Explains CSRD's impact on the scope of reporting entities under the Disclosures Delegated Act.
impact of the CSRD on the scope
Do not write "-compliant" as a shortcut for Taxonomy alignment. Keep a separate Taxonomy activity assessment and then map where CSRD determines the reporting perimeter or assurance workflow.
Taxonomy disclosure duties apply to undertakings required to publish non-financial information under Articles 19a or 29a of Directive 2013/34/EU. The Disclosures Delegated Act then specifies the content, methodology, and presentation of Taxonomy information for financial and non-financial undertakings.
Disclosures Delegated Act specifying content and presentation for Taxonomy disclosures.
content and presentation of information
Under the Accounting Directive consolidated on 18 March 2026, Article 19a applies to undertakings that exceed both EUR 450 million in net turnover and an average of 1,000 employees during the financial year. Article 29a applies corresponding thresholds on a consolidated basis to parent undertakings. Legal form, group exemptions, third-country arrangements, transitional rules, and Member State implementation can change the result for a specific entity.
Current Articles 19a and 29a set the EUR 450 million net-turnover and 1,000-employee tests and the related undertaking and group rules.
Test current Articles 19a and 29a before applying . Do not use the original 2024-2026 phase table, an old size label, or group membership alone as proof that an entity is currently in scope.
The Taxonomy trigger is not a generic sustainability program. It starts with a reporting undertaking or financial market participant in scope, then requires activity-level eligibility and alignment checks against the relevant delegated acts and disclosure rules.
Climate Delegated Act containing technical screening criteria for climate mitigation and adaptation activities.
technical screening criteria
The -side trigger is whether the undertaking or group is subject to current Article 19a or 29a sustainability reporting after applying the thresholds, legal-form rules, exemptions, and national law. The original phased timetable remains historical context and does not override later amendments.
Current source for the Article 19a and 29a reporting perimeter, exemptions, and transitional provisions.
For intake triage, ask two questions: is the undertaking in the current Article 19a or 29a perimeter, and which activities or exposures require Taxonomy eligibility, alignment, and KPI treatment?
For non-financial undertakings, focuses on the share of turnover, capital expenditure, and operating expenditure associated with environmentally sustainable economic activities. Financial undertaking KPIs cover financing activities such as lending, investment, insurance, and asset ratios set out in the Disclosures Delegated Act.
Sets detailed Article 8 templates and KPI rules for financial and non-financial undertakings.
key performance indicators
does not supersede those Taxonomy KPIs. It supplies the sustainability-reporting context in which the Taxonomy disclosures may be included and assured for undertakings brought into scope.
States that CSRD assurance rules apply to Article 8 Taxonomy disclosures once CSRD becomes applicable.
same extent to disclosures
Build the reporting calendar around Taxonomy KPI production: activity mapping, numerator and denominator support, qualitative explanations, template completion where required, and sign-off before the report is finalized.
Taxonomy evidence must be activity-specific: eligibility mapping, technical screening criteria, DNSH analysis, minimum safeguards, accounting basis for KPIs, and source records for qualitative explanations.
Platform report explaining minimum safeguards interpretation and due diligence considerations.
Minimum Safeguards
evidence should show why the undertaking or group is currently subject to Article 19a or 29a, which exemption or transitional rule was considered, how the sustainability information and disclosures enter the management report, and who performs the required review or assurance.
Supports CSRD-related assurance treatment for Taxonomy disclosures.
limited assurance engagement
A data point may be reused only when it proves the same Taxonomy fact. General European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) narrative evidence does not by itself prove Taxonomy eligibility, alignment, DNSH, or minimum safeguards.
Taxonomy reporting timing depends on , the Disclosures Delegated Act, and applicable delegated acts. The Commission Article 8 FAQ describes initial eligibility reporting from January 2022, non-financial undertaking alignment reporting in 2023 for climate objectives, and later financial undertaking KPI reporting including GAR/GIR timing.
States non-financial undertaking KPIs and GAR/GIR commencement dates.
Green Asset Ratio
The Commission's earlier notice records the original phases, but the Accounting Directive consolidated on 18 March 2026 contains the current reporting population and transitional rules. Use that current text together with national implementation to determine the first reporting period for a specific undertaking.
Current source for reporting scope, exemptions, and transitional provisions after the original CSRD phase-in was amended.
Track Taxonomy KPI readiness, delegated-act applicability, current Article 19a or 29a scope, national implementation, first publication year, and assurance review in separate source-dated fields.
Taxonomy disclosures need review against the Taxonomy Regulation, Disclosures Delegated Act, technical screening criteria, and underlying source evidence. Some technical screening criteria may separately require independent third-party verification because of their complexity.
Notes that some Climate Delegated Act technical screening criteria require independent third-party verification.
verified by an independent third party
The Commission notice says that after becomes applicable, CSRD assurance rules for sustainability reporting apply to Taxonomy disclosures to the same extent, including an opinion based on limited assurance regarding compliance with CSRD requirements and Article 8 reporting requirements.
Explains CSRD assurance application to Article 8 Taxonomy disclosures.
including the compliance with the reporting requirements
Route Taxonomy figures through both subject-matter review and reporting assurance. Assurance can test presentation and compliance, but the evidence file still needs to prove the underlying Taxonomy classification and KPI calculations.
Taxonomy data can overlap with sustainability reporting because disclosures sit in the management report and may use the same financial statements, consolidation principles, counterparties, systems, and assurance calendar. The current Disclosures Delegated Act also has materiality options and financial-undertaking denominator rules that need Taxonomy-specific treatment.
Supports reuse constraints around consolidation, financial statement basis, mixed groups, and qualitative Article 8 disclosures.
same consolidation principles
-related work can help identify the reporting perimeter, consolidation level, assurance owner, and publication deadline. It does not remove the need for Taxonomy-specific activity mapping, KPI formulas, template treatment, DNSH, technical screening criteria, or minimum safeguards evidence.
Use the EU Taxonomy workstream whenever the question is whether an activity or exposure is eligible, aligned, included in a numerator or denominator, reported as turnover, CapEx, OpEx, GAR/GIR, or supported by DNSH and minimum safeguards evidence.
Supports the practical Taxonomy decision rule for KPI calculation and presentation.
Article 8 Taxonomy Regulation
Use the workstream whenever the question is whether the undertaking is in the sustainability-reporting population, which reporting period and publication year applies, where Taxonomy disclosures sit in the report, and how assurance is arranged.
Supports the practical CSRD decision rule for scope, timing, and assurance.
CSRD has also amended
If both apply, publish one coherent report but keep two evidence trails: one for reporting scope and assurance, and one for Taxonomy classification, KPI calculation, and presentation.
Supports preserving a distinct Taxonomy evidence trail for Article 8 disclosures.
framework to facilitate sustainable investment
Purpose and scope
EU Taxonomy
The EU Taxonomy is a classification system for environmentally sustainable economic activities. A Taxonomy analysis asks whether an activity is eligible and, if assessed for alignment, whether it substantially contributes to an environmental objective, meets DNSH criteria, satisfies technical screening criteria, and complies with minimum safeguards.
Commission overview of the Taxonomy as a list of sustainable activities with technical screening criteria.
six climate and environmental objectives
CSRD
is not an activity-classification test. It amended the Accounting Directive's sustainability-reporting rules, including the information placed in the management report, double-materiality reporting, electronic reporting, and assurance. Later amendments changed the population and related requirements, so the current consolidated Accounting Directive is the starting point for scope.
Explains CSRD's impact on the scope of reporting entities under the Disclosures Delegated Act.
impact of the CSRD on the scope
Operational implication
Do not write "-compliant" as a shortcut for Taxonomy alignment. Keep a separate Taxonomy activity assessment and then map where CSRD determines the reporting perimeter or assurance workflow.
Supports keeping Article 8 Taxonomy disclosures distinct while tracking CSRD-linked scope and assurance effects.
Taxonomy-related disclosures
Who must report
EU Taxonomy
Taxonomy disclosure duties apply to undertakings required to publish non-financial information under Articles 19a or 29a of Directive 2013/34/EU. The Disclosures Delegated Act then specifies the content, methodology, and presentation of Taxonomy information for financial and non-financial undertakings.
Disclosures Delegated Act specifying content and presentation for Taxonomy disclosures.
content and presentation of information
CSRD
Under the Accounting Directive consolidated on 18 March 2026, Article 19a applies to undertakings that exceed both EUR 450 million in net turnover and an average of 1,000 employees during the financial year. Article 29a applies corresponding thresholds on a consolidated basis to parent undertakings. Legal form, group exemptions, third-country arrangements, transitional rules, and Member State implementation can change the result for a specific entity.
Current Articles 19a and 29a set the EUR 450 million net-turnover and 1,000-employee tests and the related undertaking and group rules.
Operational implication
Test current Articles 19a and 29a before applying . Do not use the original 2024-2026 phase table, an old size label, or group membership alone as proof that an entity is currently in scope.
Explains Article 8 reporting for financial and non-financial undertakings, mixed groups, and consolidated reporting.
financial and non-financial undertakings
Trigger or threshold
EU Taxonomy
The Taxonomy trigger is not a generic sustainability program. It starts with a reporting undertaking or financial market participant in scope, then requires activity-level eligibility and alignment checks against the relevant delegated acts and disclosure rules.
Climate Delegated Act containing technical screening criteria for climate mitigation and adaptation activities.
technical screening criteria
CSRD
The -side trigger is whether the undertaking or group is subject to current Article 19a or 29a sustainability reporting after applying the thresholds, legal-form rules, exemptions, and national law. The original phased timetable remains historical context and does not override later amendments.
Current source for the Article 19a and 29a reporting perimeter, exemptions, and transitional provisions.
Operational implication
For intake triage, ask two questions: is the undertaking in the current Article 19a or 29a perimeter, and which activities or exposures require Taxonomy eligibility, alignment, and KPI treatment?
Distinguishes reporting undertaking scope from Taxonomy-eligible and aligned economic activity assessments.
Taxonomy-eligible and Taxonomy-aligned
Core output
EU Taxonomy
For non-financial undertakings, focuses on the share of turnover, capital expenditure, and operating expenditure associated with environmentally sustainable economic activities. Financial undertaking KPIs cover financing activities such as lending, investment, insurance, and asset ratios set out in the Disclosures Delegated Act.
Sets detailed Article 8 templates and KPI rules for financial and non-financial undertakings.
key performance indicators
CSRD
does not supersede those Taxonomy KPIs. It supplies the sustainability-reporting context in which the Taxonomy disclosures may be included and assured for undertakings brought into scope.
States that CSRD assurance rules apply to Article 8 Taxonomy disclosures once CSRD becomes applicable.
same extent to disclosures
Operational implication
Build the reporting calendar around Taxonomy KPI production: activity mapping, numerator and denominator support, qualitative explanations, template completion where required, and sign-off before the report is finalized.
Supports implementation planning around Article 8 KPI content, methodology, presentation, and templates.
methodology to comply
Evidence and records
EU Taxonomy
Taxonomy evidence must be activity-specific: eligibility mapping, technical screening criteria, DNSH analysis, minimum safeguards, accounting basis for KPIs, and source records for qualitative explanations.
Platform report explaining minimum safeguards interpretation and due diligence considerations.
Minimum Safeguards
CSRD
evidence should show why the undertaking or group is currently subject to Article 19a or 29a, which exemption or transitional rule was considered, how the sustainability information and disclosures enter the management report, and who performs the required review or assurance.
Supports CSRD-related assurance treatment for Taxonomy disclosures.
limited assurance engagement
Operational implication
A data point may be reused only when it proves the same Taxonomy fact. General European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) narrative evidence does not by itself prove Taxonomy eligibility, alignment, DNSH, or minimum safeguards.
Supports traceable KPI evidence, accounting basis, mixed group treatment, and qualitative disclosures.
qualitative information
Timing and cadence
EU Taxonomy
Taxonomy reporting timing depends on , the Disclosures Delegated Act, and applicable delegated acts. The Commission Article 8 FAQ describes initial eligibility reporting from January 2022, non-financial undertaking alignment reporting in 2023 for climate objectives, and later financial undertaking KPI reporting including GAR/GIR timing.
States non-financial undertaking KPIs and GAR/GIR commencement dates.
Green Asset Ratio
CSRD
The Commission's earlier notice records the original phases, but the Accounting Directive consolidated on 18 March 2026 contains the current reporting population and transitional rules. Use that current text together with national implementation to determine the first reporting period for a specific undertaking.
Current source for reporting scope, exemptions, and transitional provisions after the original CSRD phase-in was amended.
Operational implication
Track Taxonomy KPI readiness, delegated-act applicability, current Article 19a or 29a scope, national implementation, first publication year, and assurance review in separate source-dated fields.
Supports separate tracking of Taxonomy and CSRD-linked timing.
financial years starting on or after
Assurance and review route
EU Taxonomy
Taxonomy disclosures need review against the Taxonomy Regulation, Disclosures Delegated Act, technical screening criteria, and underlying source evidence. Some technical screening criteria may separately require independent third-party verification because of their complexity.
Notes that some Climate Delegated Act technical screening criteria require independent third-party verification.
verified by an independent third party
CSRD
The Commission notice says that after becomes applicable, CSRD assurance rules for sustainability reporting apply to Taxonomy disclosures to the same extent, including an opinion based on limited assurance regarding compliance with CSRD requirements and Article 8 reporting requirements.
Explains CSRD assurance application to Article 8 Taxonomy disclosures.
including the compliance with the reporting requirements
Operational implication
Route Taxonomy figures through both subject-matter review and reporting assurance. Assurance can test presentation and compliance, but the evidence file still needs to prove the underlying Taxonomy classification and KPI calculations.
Supports separating Taxonomy subject-matter evidence from assurance workflow evidence.
Taxonomy disclosures
Overlap and reuse
EU Taxonomy
Taxonomy data can overlap with sustainability reporting because disclosures sit in the management report and may use the same financial statements, consolidation principles, counterparties, systems, and assurance calendar. The current Disclosures Delegated Act also has materiality options and financial-undertaking denominator rules that need Taxonomy-specific treatment.
Supports reuse constraints around consolidation, financial statement basis, mixed groups, and qualitative Article 8 disclosures.
same consolidation principles
CSRD
-related work can help identify the reporting perimeter, consolidation level, assurance owner, and publication deadline. It does not remove the need for Taxonomy-specific activity mapping, KPI formulas, template treatment, DNSH, technical screening criteria, or minimum safeguards evidence.
Supports keeping Taxonomy KPI methodology and presentation distinct when reusing reporting data.
content, methodology and presentation
Practical decision rule
EU Taxonomy
Use the EU Taxonomy workstream whenever the question is whether an activity or exposure is eligible, aligned, included in a numerator or denominator, reported as turnover, CapEx, OpEx, GAR/GIR, or supported by DNSH and minimum safeguards evidence.
Supports the practical Taxonomy decision rule for KPI calculation and presentation.
Article 8 Taxonomy Regulation
CSRD
Use the workstream whenever the question is whether the undertaking is in the sustainability-reporting population, which reporting period and publication year applies, where Taxonomy disclosures sit in the report, and how assurance is arranged.
Supports the practical CSRD decision rule for scope, timing, and assurance.
CSRD has also amended
Operational implication
If both apply, publish one coherent report but keep two evidence trails: one for reporting scope and assurance, and one for Taxonomy classification, KPI calculation, and presentation.
Primary source for Article 8 Taxonomy KPI content, methodology, and presentation.
information to be disclosed
1
Section 1
When should teams compare EU Taxonomy and CSRD?
Compare them before the reporting calendar is locked. The Accounting Directive text consolidated on 18 March 2026 determines the current EU-level reporting perimeter, subject to legal-form, group, exemption, third-country, and national rules. That perimeter controls the gateway, while the Taxonomy assessment still needs separate activity-level evidence and KPI calculations.
The comparison is most useful when finance, sustainability, legal, and assurance teams are deciding which data points can be reused and which need Taxonomy-specific support.
It is relevant when an undertaking or group exceeds the current Article 19a or 29a thresholds or needs to reassess an exemption.
It is relevant when turnover, CapEx, OpEx, GAR, GIR, or other financial undertaking KPIs depend on data from reporting systems.
Use it before reusing ESRS narrative, consolidation, or assurance evidence as Taxonomy eligibility or alignment proof.
Current source for Articles 19a and 29a scope, sustainability-report content, exemptions, group reporting, electronic reporting, transitional provisions, and assurance.
Current Articles 19a, 29a, 29d, and 34 establish sustainability-reporting content, consolidated reporting, electronic reporting, and assurance.
Current Articles 19a and 29a set the EUR 450 million net-turnover and 1,000-employee tests and the related undertaking and group rules.
Show 2 more
Current source for the Article 19a and 29a reporting perimeter, exemptions, and transitional provisions.
Current source for reporting scope, exemptions, and transitional provisions after the original CSRD phase-in was amended.