ESRS Knowledge Hub: Terms and Conditions of Use

These Terms and Conditions of Use govern your access to and use of the ESRS Knowledge Hub (the "Hub"), operated by EFRAG, an international non-profit association (IVZW/AISBL) established under Belgian law. By accessing or using the Hub, you agree to be bound by these Terms. This page refers to tell you the terms on which you may use our Hub whether as a Guest or Registered User. Use of our Hub includes accessing content, browsing or registering to use our Hub.

I. General & Scope

1. Acceptance of Terms

By using the Hub, operated under Belgian law, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms and Conditions and the accompanying Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, please refrain from using our Websites or downloading any content.

2. Changes to Terms

EFRAG reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time. Users will be informed/notified of any changes to the Terms and Conditions. You may be required to accept the revised Terms and Conditions if you continue using the Hub. Your continued use of the Hub after these changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you may cease the use of the Hub and close your account.

3. Access and Use

Access to and use of the Hub is currently provided free of charge for users. EFRAG reserves the right to introduce paid features, subscription models, or other forms of access control in the future. Any such change will be communicated in advance through the Hub or other appropriate channels. Continued use of the Hub following the introduction of such changes will constitute acceptance of the revised access terms.

Whilst we endeavour to ensure that our Hub is normally available 24 hours a day, we will not be liable if for any reason the Hub or any part thereof, or any Content is unavailable at any time or for any period. Access to the Hub may be suspended temporarily and without notice in circumstances of system failure, maintenance or repair or for reasons beyond our control. Access to restricted areas of our Hub may be withdrawn without notice at our sole discretion if EFRAG believes that you have breached any provision of the Terms and Conditions.

II. User Accounts and Responsibilities

4. Registration and Account Security

Registration is required to access certain parts or functionalities of the Hub.

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during the registration process.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your username and password and for all activities that occur under your account. EFRAG cannot be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to protect your login information.

In order to register to enter into some parts of Hub or receive any alerts and communications from us, you will be asked to provide relevant personal information which we need to process your registration. For information about how we use the personal data we collect from you when you register for any of our Websites see our Privacy and Cookies Policy (see below).

5. Prohibited Use and User Conduct

You must use the Hub only for lawful purposes related to the ESRS and EFRAG’s mission. You are strictly prohibited from:

  • Posting or transmitting any material that is offensive or infringing on any third party's intellectual property or privacy rights.
  • Using the Hub to distribute unsolicited commercial emails (spam) or malware.
  • Attempting to gain unauthorized access to the Hub, other user accounts, or EFRAG's systems.
  • Harvesting or collecting information about other users without their consent.

III. Intellectual Property and Content Usage

6. Copyright and Database Rights

The Hub is a proprietary work protected by intellectual property rights. EFRAG holds the copyright and the database right (as producer) in the selection, coordination, and arrangement of the Hub and all original content created by EFRAG. This ownership claim is subject to an express exception for materials that are official Legal Texts or Law (e.g., EU Directives, Regulations, National Law), or content created and owned by third parties, where EFRAG's rights are limited to the right to host and present such materials within the Hub. Unless expressly permitted by EFRAG, you are strictly prohibited from any form of exploitation, including, but not limited to reproduction, adaptation, modification, change, translation, transmission, distribution, public display, rental, or other exploitation of part or all of the Hub, its structure, or its EFRAG-owned content, in whatever form and by whatever means. The software that operates our Hub is the property of EFRAG. You must not copy, reverse engineer, modify or otherwise alter or manipulate this software.

7. Brands and Trade Names

The names, logos, and other marks used on the Hub, including the logo and the name EFRAG, are legally protected brands and/or trade names. Any use of these or similar signs is prohibited without the prior written permission of EFRAG.

IV. Liability and Disclaimer

8. Liability for Content

EFRAG takes the utmost care in designing and maintaining the Hub. However, EFRAG cannot guarantee that all information on the Hub is correct, up-to-date, or complete. You should be aware that the information can be changed without prior notice. EFRAG cannot be held liable for the content of this Hub or how it is used.

The content of the Hub is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, accounting, or professional advice. Users should seek professional advice before making any decisions based on the information provided.

The presentation of “interoperable” third-party reporting standards within the Hub is intended solely as general guidance and does not constitute a legally binding reference. The referenced materials may not have been, or may have been only partially, acknowledged or reviewed by other standard setters. Officially endorsed interoperability statements jointly issued with other organisations are announced through the relevant EFRAG news items published on our website. Where you use the Hub, please note that in particular, EFRAG will not be liable for loss of profits, sales, business, or revenue; business interruption; loss of anticipated savings; loss of business opportunity, goodwill or reputation; or any indirect or consequential loss or damage.

EFRAG will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by a virus, distributed denial-of-service attack, or other technologically harmful material or event that may infect your computer equipment, computer programs, data or other proprietary material due to your use of our site, the downloading of any content, or on any Websites linked to it.

9. Links to Other Websites

The Hub may contain links to other non-EFRAG websites. EFRAG cannot accept responsibility for the content, privacy practices, or terms and conditions of these external websites.

V. Privacy Policy and Data Handling

10. Privacy Statement and Personally Identifiable Information)

EFRAG acknowledges the importance of protecting personal information and data. For us, this entails a commitment to respect privacy and comply with the applicable practices for collecting, keeping and using personal information and data.

Personal information, such as names, addresses and email addresses, is collected only when it is voluntarily passed on to us. Only a small part of the information in the Hub does not demand any form of registration.

However, registration is demanded to have access to most part of the information in the Hub. When you register with us, you may have to fill out certain fields (some of which are compulsory and some optional) and that you have to enter a user name and a password. If in this case you choose not to provide the personal data requested by us, you will probably not be given access to certain parts of the Hub.

11. Right of Access and communication

You have the right to access and correct your personal data or have them deleted at your request by sending an email. We endeavour to ensure that personal data are up to date, accurate and complete.

By registering on the Hub, users agree that EFRAG may contact them using the contact details provided during registration for purposes related to the ESRS Knowledge Hub, EFRAG’s activities, and the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS). Such communications may include news, updates, event invitations, surveys, or other information relevant to the Hub and its users.

12. Shared data

The Hub places packets of data (cookies) on your computer when you visit. These packets of data are known as cookies. If a user returns to the same website later, the cookies are transmitted back to that and only that website. Cookies tell us how and when certain pages on our Hub are visited and by how many people. The goal is to use this information to improve our Hub. Details on the use of cookies are provided in the separate Cookie Policy.

VI. Contact Information

For any queries or comments you have about these Terms and Conditions of Use, please contact:

EFRAG (IVZW/AISBL)

35 Square de Meeûs
1000 Brussels (fifth floor)
BELGIUM

Email: ehub@efrag.org
Phone: +32 (0)2 207 93 00
Website: https://www.efrag.org/en