EU Finalizes Rule on Framework to Facilitate Sustainable Investment
Regulation 2020/852 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment has been published in the Official Journal of European Union. Regulation 2020/852 establishes the criteria for determining whether an economic activity qualifies as environmentally sustainable for the purpose of establishing the degree to which an investment is environmentally sustainable. Regulation 2020/852 also amends Regulation 2019/2088 on sustainability‐related disclosures in the financial services sector and enters into force on the twentieth day following that of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. In addition, EC has launched a call for applications for members of the Platform on Sustainable Finance. The platform will be an advisory body composed of experts from the private and public sectors. The deadline for applications is July 16, 2020.
The new legislation on sustainable investments lays down six environmental objectives and allows economic activity to be labelled as environmentally sustainable if it contributes to at least one of the objectives without significantly harming any of the others. The objectives are:
- Climate change mitigation and adaptation
- Sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources
- Transition to a circular economy, including waste prevention and increasing the uptake of secondary raw materials
- Pollution prevention and control
- Protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems
- Boosting green investments
According to EC, the criteria for climate change mitigation and adaptation will be adopted by the end of this year and the criteria on the other four environmental objectives (sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources, transition to a circular economy, pollution prevention and control, protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems) will be adopted by the end of next year. To ensure consistency between Regulation 2020/852 and Regulation 2019/2088, Regulation 2019/2088 has been amended to mandate the ESAs to jointly develop regulatory technical standards to specify details of the content and presentation of the information in relation to the principle of "do no significant harm." These regulatory technical standards should be consistent with the content, methodologies, and presentation of the sustainability indicators in relation to adverse impacts, as referred to in Regulation 2019/2088. Regulation 2019/2088 has further been amended to mandate ESAs to develop, through the Joint Committee, draft regulatory technical standards to supplement the rules on transparency of the promotion of environmental characteristics and of environmentally sustainable investments in pre-contractual disclosures and in periodic reports.
Regulation 2020/852 highlights that, by December 31, 2021, EC shall publish a report describing the provisions that would be required to extend the scope of Regulation 2020/852 beyond environmentally sustainable economic activities, to cover other sustainability objectives, such as social objectives, and to cover the economic activities that do not have a significant impact on environmental sustainability and that harm environmental sustainability. The report will also review the appropriateness of specific disclosure requirements related to transitional and enabling activities. By July 13, 2022, EC shall assess the effectiveness of advisory procedures for the development of the technical screening criteria established under Regulation 2020/852. Also, by July 13, 2022, and subsequently every three years thereafter, EC shall publish a report on the application of Regulation 2020/852.
Related Links
Effective Date: July 12, 2020
Keywords: Europe, EU, Banking, Insurance, Securities, Climate Change Risk, ESG, Regulation 2019/2088, Disclosures, Regulation 2020/852, Sustainable Finance, Taxonomy, European Parliament, European Council
Previous Article
ECB Examines Cross-Border Effects of Macro-Prudential PoliciesRelated Articles
BIS Examines Use of Big Data and Machine Learning at Central Banks
BIS published a paper that provides an overview on the use of big data and machine learning in the central bank community.
APRA Finalizes Reporting Standard for Operational Risk Requirements
APRA finalized the reporting standard ARS 115.0 on capital adequacy with respect to the standardized measurement approach to operational risk for authorized deposit-taking institutions in Australia.
ECB Publishes Guide for Determining Penalties for Regulatory Breaches
ECB published a guide that outlines the principles and methods for calculating the penalties for regulatory breaches of prudential requirements by banks.
MAS Sets Out Good Practices to Manage Operational Risks Amid COVID
MAS and The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) jointly issued a paper that sets out good practices for the management of operational and other risks stemming from new work arrangements adopted by financial institutions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
ACPR Announces New Data Collection Application for Banks and Insurers
ACPR announced that a new data collection application, called DLPP (Datalake for Prudential), for collecting banking and insurance prudential data will go into production on April 12, 2021.
BCB Maintains CCyB at 0%, Initiates First Cycle of Regulatory Sandbox
BCB announced that the Financial Stability Committee decided to maintain the countercyclical capital buffer (CCyB) for Brazil at 0%, at least until the end of 2021.
EIOPA Launches Study on Non-Life Underwriting Risk in Internal Models
EIOPA has launched a European-wide comparative study on non-life underwriting risk in internal models, also kicking-off of the data collection phase.
SRB Publishes Overview of Resolution Tools Available in Banking Union
SRB published an overview of the resolution tools available in the Banking Union and their impact on a bank’s ability to maintain continuity of access to financial market infrastructure services in resolution.
EBA Consults on Pillar 3 Disclosure Standards for ESG Risks Under CRR
EBA is consulting on the implementing technical standards for Pillar 3 disclosures on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks, as set out in requirements under Article 449a of the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR).
ESAs Issue Advice on KPIs on Sustainability for Nonfinancial Reporting
ESAs Issue Advice on KPIs on Sustainability for Nonfinancial Reporting
