The Col·legi d'Economistes de Catalunya and UPF-BSM sign a partnership agreement to give training on the new European Sustainability Reporting Standards

The UPF Barcelona School of Management (UPF-BSM) has signed a partnership agreement with the Col·legi d'Economistes de Catalunya (CEC, the Catalan Association of Economists) to run two courses on the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS), designed for economics and business professionals. To be run throughout autumn 2023, the two courses are the Introductory course on the ESRS standards and the Specialization course on the ESRS standards.

The standards, which are set to be approved in mid-July and implemented from January 1 2024 onwards are designed to enable European companies to prepare and report information on sustainability, based on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive approved by the European Commission in December 2022. In view of this far-reaching situation of change, the UPF-BSM and the CEC have joined forces to offer courses to its members and any members of the public interested in the topic. The courses are designed to equip participants with the specific competencies and knowledge required to tackle the challenge with confidence and good professional judgment.

The Introductory course on the ESRS standards and the Specialization course on the ESRS standards are designed to enable European companies to prepare and report information on sustainability.

The Introductory course on the ESRS standards is aimed at professionals from the different company departments that will be affected by the new directive and the standards on preparing and drafting sustainability reports, although they do not play an active role in drafting this kind of information. The course would also be helpful for auditors of financial statements and business consultants.

Meanwhile, the Specialization course on the ESRS standards will  be extremely useful for professionals who are actively involved in drafting and presenting sustainability reports. The course is also suitable for auditors and external inspectors of these reports, as well as for business consultants specializing in sustainability, and people who want to expand on the training received in the training introductory course to gain a more in-depth insight into the application of the ESRS standards. The course includes examples and practical cases that enable participants to get a more detailed overview of the key aspects of the regulations.

The Dean of the Col·legi d’Economistes de Catalunya, Carles Puig de Travy, explained that “companies should see drafting and presenting a sustainability report as a competitive advantage in terms of their operations on the market, their employee relations, their day-to-day activities with suppliers and customers, their dealings with the public administrations and when looking for financing”. He went on to suggest “establishing a set of grants and tax incentives in favor of companies that incorporate preparing and externally auditing their sustainability reports as part of their everyday activities”. 

For his part, the Director General of the UPF Barcelona School of Management, José Manuel Martínez-Sierra, highlighted that “our mission as an institution is firmly rooted in our social impact and the wellbeing of the planet, concepts that play a key role in how we model society. Moreover, due to their very nature, it is essential that they increasingly permeate through the business community. Being able to train the professionals of the CEC gives us the opportunity to work with a cutting-edge institution in this community and, therefore, the capacity to keep advancing on our mission as an educational institution”. 

More information about courses on the European Sustainability Reporting Standards:

• The Introductory course on the ESRS standards.
• Webinar: The Introductory course on the ESRS standards.
• The Specialization course on the ESRS standards.
• Webinar: The Specialization course on the ESRS standards.