On 20 May 2020, the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) issued a public statement that addresses the preparation of interim financial statements according to IFRS and the interim management reports for the 2020 half-yearly reporting periods. The statement highlights the need for issuers to provide updated information that is useful to investors to adequately reflect the current and expected impact of the COVID-19 situation on the financial position, performance and cash-flows of issuers. ESMA also highlights in the statement the importance of providing information on the identification of the principal risks and uncertainties to which issuers are exposed. The considerations in the statement are also applicable to the reporting of financial information in other interim periods to which IAS 34 Interim Financial Reporting is applied.