GRI ESRS-Professional - ESRS Professional Certification Exam

The statement that "Policymakers and regulators worldwide are increasingly mandating limited assurance for sustainability reporting in Europe and mandatory assurance in all Asian and African countries" isfalsefor the following reasons:

Limited Assurance in Europe

Under theCorporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), theEuropean Union (EU) is progressively implementing mandatory assurance for sustainability reporting, but it isstarting with limited assurancebefore transitioning toreasonable assuranceby 2028​.

TheCommittee of European Auditing Oversight Bodies (CEAOB)has issuednon-binding guidelines on limited assuranceto harmonize the approach across EU member states​.

No Universal Mandatory Assurance in Asia and Africa

Sustainability assurancevaries by countryinAsia and Africa, with some jurisdictions adoptingvoluntaryorlimitedrequirements rather thanmandatory assurance.

TheEU approachis influencing global discussions, butthere is no blanket requirementfor full mandatory assurance acrossallAsian and African countries​.

While certainAsian countries (e.g., Japan, Singapore, China, and India)are enhancing their sustainability reporting frameworks, assurance requirements remaindiverse and sector-dependent.

InAfrica, sustainability reporting is growing, especially in South Africa underKing IV principles, but assurance isnot uniformly mandatoryacross the continent​.

Limited assurance is currently being phased in across the EU, but not yet fully mandated at the reasonable assurance level.

There is no global requirement for mandatory assurance across all Asian and African countries.

Therefore, the statement isfalse.

Conclusion:Official Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772, various EFRAG guidance documents, and CSRD-related references:

EU CSRD Recital 60: Roadmap for assurance from limited to reasonable​.

CEAOB Limited Assurance Guidelines (September 2024)​.

ACSRD assurance engagementprimarily focuses onensuring compliance with the ESRSand theproper digital tagging of sustainability information. The elements included in the assurance scope are:

B. Compliance of the reporting with the relevant ESRS✅

Assurance engagements under the CSRDverify whether sustainability reports comply with the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).

Theassurance provider reviews disclosuresto ensure alignment withESRS requirements, includingdouble materiality assessments and mandatory data points​.

C. Compliance with the requirement to tag the sustainability reporting✅

CSRD requires that sustainability information bedigitally taggedusing theEuropean Single Electronic Format (ESEF)to ensuremachine readability and comparability​.

Assurance providers verify the correct application of this tagging requirement, ensuring consistency withXBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) standards.

ACSRD assurance engagement does not cover financial statements.

Financial audits are conducted separately, under theInternational Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) or local GAAP requirements.

Sustainability assurance only applies tonon-financial sustainability disclosuresunderESRS​.

Why is A. Verification of the company's financial statements❌incorrect?Conclusion:Thescope of a CSRD assurance engagementincludes:✅Compliance with ESRS(B)✅Verification of digital tagging(C)❌Not financial statement audits(A)

Official Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772, various EFRAG guidance documents, and CSRD-related references:

Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772, ESRS assurance scope​.

EU Sustainable Finance Platform Report (2025): Confirmation ofdigital tagging as part of CSRD assurance​.