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Sustainable finance package

Details

Publication date
21 April 2021 (Last updated on: 4 June 2021)
Author
Directorate-General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union

Description

The European Commission adopted on 21 April 2021 an ambitious and comprehensive package of measures to help improve the flow of money towards sustainable activities across the European Union.

By enabling investors to re-orient investments towards more sustainable technologies and businesses, these measures will be instrumental in making Europe climate neutral by 2050.

They will make the EU a global leader in setting standards for sustainable finance.

EU Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act

The EU Taxonomy Climate Delegated Act aims to support sustainable investment by making it clearer which economic activities most contribute to meeting the EU’s environmental objectives.

On 9 December 2021, a first delegated act on sustainable activities for climate change mitigation and adaptation objectives of the EU Taxonomy (“Climate Delegated Act”) was published in the Official Journal. The delegated act is applicable from 1 January 2022.

Text of the Delegated Act and accompanying documents

Proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)

The Commission adopted a proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which would amend the existing reporting requirements of the NFRD. The proposal

  • extends the scope to all large companies and all companies listed on regulated markets (except listed micro-enterprises)
  • requires the audit (assurance) of reported information
  • introduces more detailed reporting requirements, and a requirement to report according to mandatory EU sustainability reporting standards
  • requires companies to digitally ‘tag’ the reported information, so it is machine readable and feeds into the European single access point envisaged in the capital markets union action plan

Text of the CSRD proposal

Amending Delegated Acts on sustainability preferences, fiduciary duties and product governance

The Commission also adopted six amending Delegated Acts on fiduciary duties, investment and insurance advice will ensure that financial firms, e.g. advisers, asset managers or insurers, include sustainability in their procedures and their investment advice to clients.

Texts of the amending Delegated Acts

Files

  • 21 APRIL 2021
Factsheet: EU sustainable finance: April package