80% of EU Companies Just Lost Their CSRD Exemption Deadline

DEN HAAG, Netherlands - March 13, 2026 - PRLog -- The EU Omnibus Directive raised the mandatory CSRD reporting threshold from 250 to 1,000 employees, removing roughly 80% of previously in‑scope European companies from mandatory sustainability disclosure. For many Dutch business owners, the first reaction was relief.

The question most have not asked yet: what framework applies now?

For non‑listed SMEs below the new CSRD thresholds, the answer is the VSME standard, and most Dutch SMEs have never heard of it. VSME (Voluntary Sustainability Reporting Standard for non‑listed SMEs) was developed by EFRAG under a mandate from the European Commission and is now the most relevant ESG reporting framework for the vast majority of Dutch businesses. The Commission formally recommended it in July 2025, a free digital reporting template has been available since May 2025, and a delegated act making VSME formal EU law is expected in June 2026.

"Most guides treat the Omnibus as a reason to celebrate reduced bureaucracy," said David Owo, who covers ESG compliance for Greennect's knowledge centre. "Dutch SMEs are still receiving ESG questionnaires from large customers regardless, so we wrote this guide to give business owners an honest picture of what VSME really means in practice."

The Omnibus Directive changes mandatory reporting obligations, but it does not stop ESG data requests from flowing through supply chains. Large companies still need sustainability information from SME suppliers for their own CSRD disclosures, so SMEs will continue to receive questionnaires regardless of whether they are legally required to report.

Greennect's free guide explains what VSME requires in plain English, how the basic and comprehensive modules work, what data SMEs actually need to collect, and where the standard currently falls short, including concerns about data granularity from financial supervisors.

The Netherlands has not yet fully transposed CSRD into national law, and draft implementation legislation will be amended to incorporate the Omnibus changes. Dutch SMEs that begin with the VSME basic module now will be better positioned to adapt when the delegated act is published and market expectations tighten.

The full guide, "VSME standard explained: a guide for Dutch SMEs," is available free at:
https://www.greennect.com/post/vsme-standard-explained