CLIMATE REPORTING AND ITS ROLE IN ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL APPROACH TO DRIVERS, OBSTACLES AND POSSIBLE OUTCOMES (PN-PN-IV-PCB-RO-MD-2024-0221)
Description
In the context of the profound disruptive effects of climate change on the economy and society, this project considers the ability of companies to acknowledge, assess, develop, and implement measures to mitigate various types of climate risks. A salient determinant of such ability is the amount, quality, structure, relevance, and availability of climate-related information. Therefore, climate reporting provides investors and stakeholders insights into climate-related risks affecting long-term sustainability.
The project aims to answer some fundamental questions through the joint efforts of Romanian and Moldovan researchers: What challenges might occur in preparing and disclosing climate-related information under the influence of a persistent climate change shocks? What are the main drivers and, respectively, the main inhibitor factors that determine the companies’ behavior in addressing environmental issues and taking measures to mitigate climate-related risks? What are the effects associated with the required corporate behavioral transformations for achieving sustainable development of the economy?
A multidimensional, complex analytical framework is considered in searching for comprehensive answers to these questions. The project’s expected effects will benefit Romanian and Moldovan companies, public authorities and various stakeholders.
Key data
Project coordinator: WEST UNIVERSITY OF TIMIŞOARA
Project partner: ACADEMY OF ECONOMIC STUDIES OF MOLDOVA
Project status: ongoing, started 09/2025
Project duration: 24 months
Project identifier: PN-PN-IV-PCB-RO-MD-2024-0221
Research Team
Ștefana Maria Dima
Project Director – UVT
Senior Researcher (CSI), Habil. & PhD supervisor, pursues research on various topics linked to external corporate reporting, financial markets, and determinants of economic growth, employing both quantitative and qualitative research methods
Lilia Grigoroi
Partner Leader – ASEM
Associate Professor & PhD supervisor studying the accounting and auditing profession’s societal role and their contributions to achieving sustainable development.
Romanian Team (West University of Timisoara)
Bogdan Dima
Experienced Researcher
Professor & PhD supervisor in Finance at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, WUT, has a strong background in risk management, financial markets, economic modelling, and econometrics.
Rodica Gabriela Blidișel
Experienced Researcher
Associate professor actively involved in interdisciplinary research on financial and non-financial reporting as well as in educational initiatives that advance sustainable development and promote climate-related education
Karinne-Alexandra Radu
PhD Student
Addresses in her PhD thesis the impact of ESG reporting on the financial performance of multinationals in specific sectors.
Iulia Diana Mureșan
PhD Student
Researching sustainability assurance matters, assessing qualitative disclosures to ensure accuracy and alignment with reporting standards
Moldovan Team (Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova)
Liliana Lazari
Experienced Researcher
Professor & PhD supervisor in Finance at the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, WUT, has a strong background in risk management, financial markets, economic modelling, and econometrics.
Liliana Cimpoieș
Experienced Researcher
Associate Professor & PhD supervisor with an expertise in agricultural economics and policies, agricultural sustainability, trade, and economic development
Nelea Chirilov
Experienced Researcher
Associate Professor with a good understanding of the decision making process in the Moldovan business environment, she has previously worked on issues related to financial and economic analysis, and financial risks assessment.
Diana Rencheci
Postdoctoral Researcher
Recently obtained her PhD in auditing and her current research interests lie in understanding and enhancing the audit of corporate practices related to climate reporting.
Margareta Lupaşcu
PhD Student
Researches how changes in the political, economic and environmental landscapes impact the frequency of mergers and acquisitions.
Eugen Stoian
PhD Student
Focuses on study of sustainability practices of agricultural companies. Has a mixed background in advanced materials engineering and management.
Project Objectives
The project assumes the following scientific objectives:
SO 1: To build up a conceptual framework able to provide theoretical answers to the research questions and hypotheses developed by the team;
SO 2: To empirically assess the plausibility of the derived answers with a particular focus on the European Union case as well as on the emergent economies such as Romania and Moldova;
SO 3: To identify the drivers, obstacles, and possible outcomes for climate reporting implementation in such economies;
SO 4: To derive several policy implications for the understanding, mapping, and reporting of climate-related information;
SO 5: To propose an operational framework for the assessment of the de facto reporting of climate risks and opportunities.
Project Timeline
The project spans over a period of two years and it is organized into three distinct stages:
- Stage 1. Establishing the coordinates of the documentation regarding the current status of the conceptual framework related to the research topic (September 1, 2025 – December 31, 2025)
- Stage 2. Development of methodological and conceptual frameworks, data collection and processing, testing of research hypotheses (January 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026)
- Stage 3. Identifying the implications of public policies on corporate behaviors related to environmental issues, and developing a multidimensional analytical framework for assessing de facto reporting of climate risks and opportunities (January 1, 2027- August 31, 2027)
Dissemination Strategy
Conference Presentations
The team members shall actively participate in national and international conferences, ensuring the dissemination of research outcomes to a diverse audience.
Academic Publications
Our goal is to develop and submit several research papers to national or international top journals indexed in relevant databases (i.e. WOS, Scopus, EBSCO, RePEc). In this context, Open Access regime is important as it will allow for wide accessibility and visibility within the academic community.
Hybrid Workshops
A collaborative workshop bringing together academics, professionals, stakeholders and public authorities will be organized in the last stage of the project. Any hybrid training sessions or research seminars organized in relation to the project will be opened to the academic community. All these will serve as an open platform for in-depth discussions and knowledge exchange.
Relevant external links
A comprehensive list of relevant resources will be provided in this section.
Expected Impact
While the project is in its initial stages, we anticipate the following impact:
i) developing a theoretical framework to explain climate reporting as a multidimensional concept formed by interrelated dimensions;
ii) proposing a multidimensional approach to identify drivers, obstacles, and possible outcomes for the climate reporting;
iii) applying such methodology for the specific cases of Romania and Moldova;
iv) recommending policies meant to increase policy-making responsiveness to climate reporting transition.
Funding Acknowledgment
The research team members acknowledge the financial assistance provided by the Ministry of Education and Research, UEFISCDI, programme PNCDI IV Complex Bilateral Projects with the Republic of Moldova, under the grant “CLIMATE REPORTING AND ITS ROLE IN ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL APPROACH TO DRIVERS, OBSTACLES AND POSSIBLE OUTCOMES”, CLEAR-INNOVATE, PN-IV-PCB-RO-MD-2024-0221; financing contract 37PCBROMD ⁄ 2025.
