Renewed sustainable finance strategy

Key points:

The EESC

• strongly supports the goal of redirecting investments in such a way that they contribute to the EU's transition to a sustainable economy. Most of the measures set out in the Sustainable Finance Strategy are logical, but often appear hesitant given the pressing need for action. Time is of the essence;
• finds that a consistent and well sequenced set of rules is needed to avoid excessive complexity so that the strategy works in practice. Deceptive "sustainability-washing" deserves extra attention;
• calls for the social partners and civil society to be brought on board in the design and implementation of sustainable finance. They must be sufficiently represented in both the Platform on Sustainable Finance and the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG);
• is generally critical of the practice of using delegated acts excessively to regulate important matters relating to the strategy;
• is of the opinion that the EU taxonomy must reflect a higher level of ambition than EU legislation provides;
• welcomes the objective of making it easier for retail investors and SMEs to access sustainable finance and notes the importance of ensuring fair financing conditions here;
• also supports steps to expand sustainability reporting. Reporting requirements should not entail excessive resources and costs, but be effective in contributing to transparency.
• finds that the measures cited to support credible social investment fall far short of what is needed and should also be stepped up. The focus on social sustainability needs to be tightened so that people and the world of work are at the centre. Social partners and civil society should be fully involved in this process;
• calls for sustainability factors to be considered in financial sector risk management and capital provision, which must be addressed by regulation and, in the short term, also at the technical level;
• welcomes the steps taken to strengthen the monitoring of systemic risks arising from the climate crisis and stresses that it time to finally pay heed also to social sustainability risks;
• supports increasing the compulsory nature of sustainability reporting by financial institutions;
• calls for supervisors to be quickly given powers with which to address greenwashing. A definition of this could make this easier;
• welcomes the fact that the Commission will promote an ambitious consensus in international forums, because global markets need globally recognised framework conditions;
• urges the Commission to work towards closer cooperation not only with the private sector, but also with civil society, as part of the deepening of the work of the International Platform on Sustainable Finance.