U.S. Impulses for European Sustainability Reporting

The dissertation project deals with the U.S. legal situation - specifically the Climate-Related Disclosure Rules previously proposed by the SEC - and the identified problem areas related to them, with possible impulses for EU law on sustainability reporting.

The project initially compares the key similarities and differences between the SEC’s Climate-Related Disclosure Rules and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD, Directive (EU) 2022/2464), as well as the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS, Delegated Regulation (EU) 2023/2772 of the Commission).

Building on this, possible insights from the constitutional discourse on the SEC’s Climate-Related Disclosure Rules in the U.S. for the conformity of the CSRD and the ESRS with European primary law are examined. The focus is on the scope of the delegated legislative powers of the SEC and the European Commission, as well as the compatibility of the respective reporting standards with fundamental rights. Furthermore, the project addresses the legality of the legislative procedures leading up to the adoption of the reporting standards, particularly the procedural requirements for delegated regulations of the European Commission.

The dissertation project also addresses the current deregulation processes within the framework of the Omnibus initiative at the European level.

Personal Information

Niklas Kasper studied law at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-University Bonn. In August 2024, he completed the First State Examination after finishing his specialization in "Corporate and Capital Markets Law." Since October 2024, he has been a Research Assistant and PhD candidate at the Chair for Civil Law, Accounting, and Tax Law of Prof. Dr. Joachim Hennrichs. His research interests primarily include (corporate) company law and issues related to sustainability reporting.