Recital 24

(24)Point (i) of the first subparagraph of Article 23(4) and the fourth subparagraph of Article 23(4) of Directive 2004/109/EC empower the Commission to adopt measures to set up a mechanism for the determination of equivalence of information required under that Directive, and for the establishment of general equivalence criteria regarding accounting standards, respectively. The third subparagraph of Article 23(4) of Directive 2004/109/EC also empowers the Commission to take the necessary decisions on the equivalence of accounting standards which are used by third-country issuers. In order to reflect the inclusion of the sustainability requirements in Directive 2004/109/EC, the Commission should be empowered to establish a mechanism for the determination of equivalence of sustainability reporting standards applied by third-country issuers, similar to what is provided for in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1569/2007 ¹⁸ which sets out the criteria for the determination of equivalence of accounting standards applied by third-country issuers. For the same reason, the Commission should also be empowered to take the necessary decisions on the equivalence of sustainability reporting standards that are used by third-country issuers. The amendments introduced by this amending Directive will ensure consistent equivalence regimes for sustainability reporting requirements and for financial reporting requirements regarding the annual financial report.