Wrapping Up Three Impactful Days in Brussels EU

Our recent trip to Brussels was filled with productive engagements and insightful discussions on the future of sustainability reporting, the Omnibus package, and vSME. After an impactful first day, we continued connecting with key EU stakeholders, shared our research findings, and explored collaboration opportunities to foster innovation in financial reporting and sustainable finance.

Day 2: Engaging with EU Stakeholders

We kicked off our second day with a series of insightful discussions with representatives from the Cabinet of Maria Luís Albuquerque, Commissioner (2024-2029) for Financial Services and the Savings and Investments Union. Our meetings included Elena Arveras Elias de Molins, Cabinet Member, Antonina Maria Wozna, Legal Assistant at DG FISMA, and Mateusz Szymanski, Assistant to Ms. Arveras Elena and Mr. Panella Lauro.

During these discussions, we presented how Compera’s research and digital solution support the Omnibus package and vSME as a standardized approach for supply chain sustainability reporting. Our platform aims to reduce the reporting burden for suppliers while providing large companies with high-quality, structured data to enhance decision-making. We emphasized the importance of simplified frameworks for SMEs to ensure feasibility and engagement, and our policy recommendations were well-received. The representatives expressed interest in staying updated on the next phase of our research project and exploring collaboration opportunities with FISMA.

Later in the day, we had a constructive exchange with Christoffer Stenzeth from NHO, discussing the latest updates to the Omnibus package and their potential impact on businesses across Europe. These discussions reinforced our commitment to driving effective and scalable sustainability reporting across industries.

Day 3: Wrapping Up with Key Insights

We started the day with a great conversation with Vincent Vandeloise from Finance Watch about the Omnibus package. While we found a lot of common ground, it was also valuable to explore the perspectives of auditors and companies that have already invested heavily in compliance—many of whom are now concerned about the uncertainty surrounding the regulatory landscape.

Our key takeaways:
🔹 The 1,000-employee threshold is too high and would leave out many key players in supply chains.
🔹 We presented findings from our research, showing why complexity remains a challenge and where simplifications could make a real difference.
🔹 Additionally, we demonstrated why these requirements are particularly difficult for SMEs and highlighted key areas where further adjustments could make reporting more manageable.

Later, we met with Tonje Skjeie (Special Envoy, Norwegian Ministry of Finance) and Thea Ekre (Special Envoy for Climate) to share our research findings and discuss how Norway can contribute to regulatory developments and simplifications.

To close out the trip, we had a final debrief with Innovation Norway’s Thea Lundal and Ingeborg Frøysnes, whose support has been instrumental in ensuring our research findings and policy recommendations reach the right stakeholders.

While this marks the end of our Brussels visit, the work continues! We will be following up further with DG FISMA, and our first meeting with the Cabinet of Valdis Dombrovskis is already scheduled for next week—so stay tuned for more updates.

A big thank you to everyone who made this trip productive, insightful, and (most importantly) fun. Let’s keep the momentum going!