Sustainable Finance Lobbying Overview: EuropeanIssuers has engaged on a number of sustainable finance policy streams and has generally advocated to weaken obligations for the corporate sector.
Top-Line Messaging on Sustainable Finance Policy: EuropeanIssuers has limited recent top-line messaging on the need for sustainable finance policy. In response to a European Commission consultation in 2020, EuropeanIssuers did not appear to support the Commission’s increased ambition on sustainable finance regulation.
Position on Regulated Corporate ESG Disclosure: EuropeanIssuers has consistently advocated to weaken ESG disclosure requirements in the EU. In 2020, EuropeanIssuers supported the review of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) with major exceptions including not supporting disclosure for SMEs, arguing against digitalization of non-financial information and arguing for flexibility in determining what is 'material' and on where non-financial information is published. In a 2021 press release, EuropeanIssuers opposed much of the ambition of the NFRD (now called the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), including the expansion of the scope to SMEs and described the framework as "too prescriptive". In its 2021 Annual Report, published in April 2022, EuropeanIssuers described several meetings with permanent representatives and MEPs to advocate for weaker standards, and further stated that it had drafted “several proposed amendments” that were circulated to MEPs in the JURI Committee.
Position on Taxonomies: EuropeanIssuers has engaged on the EU taxonomy, advocating to weaken the policy and, in particular, associated disclosure requirements. EuropeanIssuers was reportedly successful in lobbying against more ambitious amendments proposed by the European Parliament in 2019. EuropeanIssuers reiterated these positions in feedback to the Commission in 2020, arguing for a weaker approach to in-transition activities and opposing the expansion to cover environmentally harmful activities. In a statement to MEPs in 2019, EuropeanIssuers opposed requirements for companies to report on revenue, CapEx and OpEx related to activities defined as sustainable under the taxonomy. Since then, EuropeanIssuers has consistently advocated to weaken disclosure requirements relating to the taxonomy and has described this advocacy in detail in its 2020 and 2021 Annual Reports.
Position on ESG Standards/Labels/Benchmarks: In feedback to the European Commission on the Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy in 2020, EuropeanIssuers advocated against proposed exclusion criteria in the EU Ecolabel and appeared to be cautious about further EU legislation on labelling on sustainability linked bonds and loans and ESG benchmarks. In a 2022 joint statement, EuropeanIssuers opposed European Parliament amendments that would increase the ambition of the EU Green Bond Standard and require minimum mandatory reporting for all bonds labelled as 'green'.
Transparency: EuropeanIssuers has transparent positions on some sustainable finance policies, with full details of activities to influence these policies in its annual reports. EuropeanIssuers clearly discloses its general, board and working group memberships.
Sustainable Finance Lobbying Overview: EuropeanIssuers has engaged on a number of sustainable finance policy streams and has generally advocated to weaken obligations for the corporate sector.
Top-Line Messaging on Sustainable Finance Policy: EuropeanIssuers has limited recent top-line messaging on the need for sustainable finance policy. In response to a European Commission consultation in 2020, EuropeanIssuers did not appear to support the Commission’s increased ambition on sustainable finance regulation.
Position on Regulated Corporate ESG Disclosure: EuropeanIssuers has consistently advocated to weaken ESG disclosure requirements in the EU. In 2020, EuropeanIssuers supported the review of the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) with major exceptions including not supporting disclosure for SMEs, arguing against digitalization of non-financial information and arguing for flexibility in determining what is 'material' and on where non-financial information is published. In a 2021 press release, EuropeanIssuers opposed much of the ambition of the NFRD (now called the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), including the expansion of the scope to SMEs and described the framework as "too prescriptive". In its 2021 Annual Report, published in April 2022, EuropeanIssuers described several meetings with permanent representatives and MEPs to advocate for weaker standards, and further stated that it had drafted “several proposed amendments” that were circulated to MEPs in the JURI Committee.
Position on Taxonomies: EuropeanIssuers has engaged on the EU taxonomy, advocating to weaken the policy and, in particular, associated disclosure requirements. EuropeanIssuers was reportedly successful in lobbying against more ambitious amendments proposed by the European Parliament in 2019. EuropeanIssuers reiterated these positions in feedback to the Commission in 2020, arguing for a weaker approach to in-transition activities and opposing the expansion to cover environmentally harmful activities. In a statement to MEPs in 2019, EuropeanIssuers opposed requirements for companies to report on revenue, CapEx and OpEx related to activities defined as sustainable under the taxonomy. Since then, EuropeanIssuers has consistently advocated to weaken disclosure requirements relating to the taxonomy and has described this advocacy in detail in its 2020 and 2021 Annual Reports.
Position on ESG Standards/Labels/Benchmarks: In feedback to the European Commission on the Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy in 2020, EuropeanIssuers advocated against proposed exclusion criteria in the EU Ecolabel and appeared to be cautious about further EU legislation on labelling on sustainability linked bonds and loans and ESG benchmarks. In a 2022 joint statement, EuropeanIssuers opposed European Parliament amendments that would increase the ambition of the EU Green Bond Standard and require minimum mandatory reporting for all bonds labelled as 'green'.
Transparency: EuropeanIssuers has transparent positions on some sustainable finance policies, with full details of activities to influence these policies in its annual reports. EuropeanIssuers clearly discloses its general, board and working group memberships.