IMPLEMENTATION OF INTERNATIONAL ENTERPRENEURIAL ESG -AUDIT NORMS FOR INDICATION OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN UKRAINE

Unofficial AI-generated summary based on the public title and abstract. Not an official translation.

🔬研究者:Provides a comparative framework for studying ESG assurance adoption and capacity gaps across EU member states and candidate countries.

🏢実務担当者:Useful for corporate sustainability teams in Ukraine or Eastern Europe preparing for mandatory ESG audit requirements; illustrates phased assurance levels.

🏛政策担当者:Relevant for regulators designing ESG audit mandates, especially on gradual transition from limited to reasonable assurance and building auditor capacity.

The article examines the implementation of ESG audit as a crucial element in verifying the reliability of companies’ non-financial reporting in the context of Ukraine’s European integration. It highlights that modern global economic development is increasingly tied to principles of sustainability, transparency, and responsible governance, which means that financial performance alone is no longer sufficient. Regulators, investors, and society require independently assured information on corporate environmental, social, and governance impacts. In this regard, ESG audit is presented as both a safeguard against greenwashing and a driver of business competitiveness. The study emphasizes that the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) create a unified legal framework for sustainability reporting but its effectiveness depends on practical enforcement. Special attention is given to two assurance levels: limited assurance, involving basic audit procedures, and reasonable assurance, which is closer to full financial audit. The EU foresees a gradual transition from the former to the latter after 2030, allowing companies and auditors to adapt progressively. A comparative analysis of leading EU economies (Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands) demonstrates that CSRD requirements were integrated relatively smoothly due to prior experience with non-financial reporting and mature audit markets. Conversely, Central and Eastern European countries (Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and the Baltic states) faced significant capacity gaps, including shortages of qualified auditors and methodological tools, which led them to apply the Omnibus directive and the stop-the-clock mechanism to delay deadlines. This underscores the asymmetry within the EU: a common regulatory framework but divergent national readiness. For Ukraine, the main challenges are the institutional unpreparedness of the auditing system and the insufficient capacity of businesses to provide reliable ESG data. The article argues that Ukraine should pursue a gradual introduction of ESG audit, taking into account European lessons: training auditors, building methodological frameworks, standardizing indicators, and raising assurance requirements step by step. Such a strategy would help prevent formalization, strengthen investor trust, and enable Ukraine to achieve the true goal of sustainable development – balancing economic efficiency, social responsibility, and environmental protection.

• openaire https://doi.org/10.30838/ep.206.191-198first seen 2026-07-15 04:46:06