EC Welcomes Agreement on New Generation of Low-Carbon Benchmarks
EC welcomed the political agreement reached by the European Parliament and member states on a new generation of low-carbon benchmarks needed to help boost investment in sustainable projects and assets. The European Parliament and Council still have to formally approve the rules. This agreement creates two new categories of low-carbon benchmarks: a climate-transition benchmark and a specialized benchmark that brings investment portfolios in line with the Paris Agreement goal to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5˚above the pre-industrial levels. In addition to the proposal to regulate benchmarks for low-carbon investment strategies (provisionally agreed), these measures also included a proposal to establish a unified EU classification system (taxonomy) of sustainable economic activities and a proposal to improve disclosure requirements related to sustainability risks and opportunities.
Separately, the EU institutions also agreed to grant providers of “critical benchmarks”—interest rates such as Euribor or EONIA—two extra years until December 31, 2021 to comply with the new Benchmark Regulation requirements. Given the crucial importance of third-country benchmarks for EU companies, the extra two years for benchmarks produced outside the EU was also introduced to provide additional time for work with non-EU regulators on how these benchmarks can be recognized as equivalent or otherwise endorsed for use in the EU. The Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER) of the Council of Ministers and the European Parliament will have to formally adopt the new rules before they can enter into force.
First proposed by EC in May 2018, the rules agreed now support the goals of the Capital Market Union to connect finance with needs of the economy and the EU agenda for sustainable development. The two new categories are voluntary labels designed to orient the choice of investors that wish to adopt a climate-conscious investment strategy. The climate-transition benchmark will offer a low-carbon alternative to the commonly used benchmarks.The Paris-aligned benchmark will only comprise companies that can demonstrate that they are aligned with a 1.5˚ target. The new labels are designed to give additional assurances to avoid “greenwashing”—that is, that investors are deceived by misleading or unsubstantiated claims about the environmental benefits of a benchmark. A technical expert group will now advise EC on how to select the companies eligible for inclusion in the new benchmarks. The expert group will also advise on whether to exclude certain sectors of economic activity from the specialized Paris-aligned benchmark.
Once the expert group has given its advice, EC will propose delegated rules that cover the composition of both benchmarks in further detail. Valdis Dombrovskis, Vice-President responsible for the Euro and Social Dialog, also in charge of Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union, said: "With this agreement, investors will benefit from two reliable benchmarks to pursue their ambitious climate strategies. This is a milestone of the Commission action plan on financing sustainable growth, participating in reorienting capital flows towards sustainable investment."
Related Links
Keywords: Europe, EU, Banking, Securities, Insurance, Sustainable Finance, Climate Change Risks, Low Carbon Benchmarks, Capital Markets Union, EC
Previous Article
Dubai FSA Updates Rulebook and Sourcebook Modules in February 2019Related Articles
|
News
EBA Report Assesses Regulatory Framework for Fintech ActivitiesEBA published the findings of its analysis on the regulatory framework applicable to fintech firms when accessing the market.
July 18, 2019
WebPage
Regulatory News
|
|
News
OSFI Revises Capital Requirements for Operational Risk for BanksOSFI is revising its capital requirements for operational risk, in line with the final Basel III revisions published by BCBS in December 2017.
July 18, 2019
WebPage
Regulatory News
|
|
News
OSFI Consults on Revised Principles for Management of Liquidity RiskOSFI proposed revisions to Guideline B-6 on the principles for the management of liquidity risk.
July 18, 2019
WebPage
Regulatory News
|
|
News
ESMA Guidance on Disclosures for Credit Rating Sustainability IssuesESMA published the technical advice on sustainability considerations in the credit rating market, along with the final guidelines on disclosure requirements applicable to credit ratings.
July 18, 2019
WebPage
Regulatory News
|
|
News
FASB Issues Q&A on Estimation of Expected Credit Losses by FirmsFASB issued a second question-and-answer (Q&A) document that addresses more than a dozen frequently asked questions related to the Accounting Standards Update No. 2016-13 titled “Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments.”
July 17, 2019
WebPage
Regulatory News
|
|
News
US Agencies Delay Enforcing Volcker Rule Restrictions on Foreign FundsUS Agencies (FDIC, FED, and OCC) announced that they will not take action related to restrictions under the Volcker Rule for certain foreign funds for an additional two years.
July 17, 2019
WebPage
Regulatory News
|
|
News
SRB Announces SRF Receives Cash Injection, Grows to EUR 33 billionSRB announced that the Single Resolution Fund (SRF or the Fund) received a cash injection of EUR 7.8 billion from 3,186 institutions in 2019, bringing the total amount in the Fund to about EUR 33 billion.
July 17, 2019
WebPage
Regulatory News
|
|
News
FASB to Propose to Delay CECL Compliance Deadline for Certain EntitiesFASB published a summary of the tentative decisions taken at its Board meeting in July 2019.
July 17, 2019
WebPage
Regulatory News
|
|
News
IMF Publishes Report on 2019 Article IV Consultation with VietnamIMF published its staff report in context of the 2019 Article IV consultation with Vietnam.
July 16, 2019
WebPage
Regulatory News
|
|
News
European Parliament Elects Next President of European CommissionEuropean Parliament elected Ursula von der Leyen from Germany as the first female President of the next European Commission for a five-year term from November 01, 2019.
July 16, 2019
WebPage
Regulatory News
|
