ESAP Implementation Begins: ESMA Launches First Data Collection Phase in July 2026
ESMA has begun collecting financial and regulatory information under the first phase of the European Single Access Point. The data will be gathered through national collection bodies before the public ESAP portal becomes accessible by July 2027.
The European Securities and Markets Authority has launched the first operational phase of the European Single Access Point, marking an important step towards centralized access to financial and sustainability-related information across the European Union.
On 10 July 2026, Officially Appointed Mechanisms and National Competent Authorities began transmitting information and associated metadata to ESAP. Although data collection is now underway, the public-facing ESAP platform is not yet available. ESMA plans to make the accumulated information publicly accessible by July 2027.
During the intervening period, ESAP will gather a meaningful body of EU-wide information ahead of the portal’s public launch.
What Is Covered in the First ESAP Phase?
The initial collection phase covers information reported under three legislative frameworks. ESMA has confirmed that these three frameworks form the scope of the initial July 2026 collection phase:
Transparency Directive
Information includes annual and half-yearly financial reports, ESEF annual financial reports, major-shareholding notifications and other regulated issuer information.
Prospectus Regulation
ESAP will collect prospectuses and related information concerning securities offerings and admissions to trading.
Short Selling Regulation
The first phase also includes public disclosures required under the EU Short Selling Regulation. These disclosures are collected primarily through National Competent Authorities rather than Officially Appointed Mechanisms.
New Submission Requirements for Transparency Directive Filers
Since 10 July 2026, issuers subject to the relevant Transparency Directive provisions have been required to submit regulated information to their Officially Appointed Mechanism for ESAP accessibility when that information is disclosed.
The submission must be accompanied by standardized metadata. Depending on the applicable requirements, this may include:
1.The issuer’s legal name and Legal Entity Identifier
2.Entity size and industry classification
3.The type of information being submitted
4.Reporting period and language
5.Applicable legal framework
6.An indication of whether the document contains personal data
7.Submission type and document version
Entities covered by the requirement must have a valid LEI.
What Is the ESAP Implementation Timeline?
| Milestone | Expected implementation |
|---|---|
| 10 July 2026 | First-phase data collection began |
| By July 2027 | Public ESAP portal becomes accessible |
| January 2028 | Phase 2 information begins to be collected and published |
| January 2029 | Phase 2bis information begins |
| January 2030 | Phase 3 is expected to begin, subject to the implementation review |
The January 2029 Phase 2bis milestone is an important part of ESMA’s current timetable and should not be overlooked when preparing for the broader expansion of ESAP.
What is ESAP’s Technical Infrastructure?
The technical requirements supporting ESAP were further defined through two Commission Implementing Regulations adopted in July 2025.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1338 establishes requirements relating to ESAP portal functionality, search classifications, access through application programming interfaces and other technical features.
Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1339 establishes requirements for collection bodies, including technical validations, metadata, accepted formats, electronic seals and the transmission of information to ESMA.
Collection bodies are expected to perform automated technical validations before transmitting accepted information and its metadata to ESAP. Validation feedback must also be provided when a submission is rejected.
Formats supported within the ESAP infrastructure include data-extractable and machine-readable formats such as HTML, text-extractable PDF, TXT, XML, XBRL-XML, XBRL-CSV, XBRL and Inline XBRL.
Metadata exchanged between collection bodies and ESAP follows a harmonized structure based on the ISO 20022 methodology.
What Does ESAP Mean for ESEF Filers?
ESAP does not replace the European Single Electronic Format and does not introduce a separate ESAP taxonomy for annual financial reports.
Listed issuers must continue to:
1.Prepare annual financial reports in XHTML under ESEF
2.Apply Inline XBRL tagging where required
3.Submit or store the report through the relevant national OAM
4.Comply with existing ESEF validation and filing requirements
The OAM acts as the ESAP collection body, transmitting the report and its standardized metadata to ESMA. Once the public portal opens, the information will become centrally searchable through ESAP.
For many issuers, the immediate change may therefore be limited where national OAMs have incorporated ESAP metadata requirements into their existing submission systems.
However, issuers and reporting service providers should confirm that their workflows can supply all required metadata, particularly:
1.A valid LEI
2.Entity and industry classifications
3.Document and information type
4.Reporting period
5.Language
6.Applicable legal framework
7.Personal-data indicators
What Should Reporting Teams Do Now?
The latest development indicates that ESAP implementation is proceeding according to the current timetable rather than being postponed.
The critical distinction is: ESAP data collection has been operational since 10 July 2026, but public access is not expected until July 2027.
Reporting teams should use this period to review how regulated documents, identifiers and submission metadata are generated, validated and transmitted through their national collection body.
They should also monitor OAM-specific guidance, as national submission processes may differ even though the information will ultimately feed into a common European platform.
How Ez-XBRL Can Help
ESAP reinforces the importance of managing not only the underlying ESEF or XBRL document, but the complete regulatory submission package.
Ez-XBRL helps organizations prepare accurate, validated and submission-ready structured reports while supporting the controls needed around document classification, metadata, identifiers and filing quality.
As ESAP expands between 2028 and 2030, its scope will extend beyond the initial frameworks to cover a broader range of financial, prudential, insurance, investment-fund and sustainability information.
Organizations that establish reliable structured-reporting and metadata processes now will be better positioned to respond as additional legislation enters the ESAP framework.
Explore Ez-XBRL’s regulatory reporting solutions or book a demonstration to discuss your ESEF and structured-reporting requirements.
