NEFINANCIJSKO IZVJEŠTAVANJE PODUZEĆA U KONTEKSTU ZELENE TRANZICIJE: IZAZOVI PRIMJENE CSRD-a / NON-FINANCIAL REPORTING OF COMPANIES IN THE CONTEXT OF THE GREEN TRANSITION: CHALLENGES OF CSRD APPLICATION

Abstract

With the introduction of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD, Directive 2022/2464/EU), the European Union has set a new non-financial reporting framework, which has undergone significant adjustments in terms of the circle of obliged entities and deadlines with the Omnibus package (December 2025) and Directive (EU) 2025/794. The Republic of Croatia has transposed the CSRD into national legislation by amending the Accounting Act (Official Gazette 85/2024). The aim of this paper is to analyze the normative framework of CSRD, identify key implementation challenges for Croatian companies and propose adaptation guidelines. The paper is based on a normative analysis of the European and national legislative framework and a systematic review of relevant professional and scientific literature. The results show that the circle of formal taxpayers in Croatia has been reduced from the originally planned about 500 to the estimated twenty to thirty largest companies, but that ESG reporting remains a strategic necessity for a far wider population due to pressure from banks, customers and business partners. The paper identifies key organizational, accounting, technological and auditing challenges and proposes adaptation guidelines differentiated by company category, with an emphasis on the strategic dimension of ESG that goes beyond formal regulatory obligations.