Eurosif SRI agenda 2014

Page 1

Growing Sustainable and Responsible Investment (SRI) in the EU An SRI Agenda for European Policy-makers September, 2014

General remarks Europe is at a crossroad. In the backdrop of increased global economic competition and still suffering from the recent financial and economic crisis, it needs to strengthen the competitiveness of its industries, create jobs and growth. At the same time, it should create the right type of growth. As identified in the Agenda 2020, this growth should be “smart, sustainable and inclusive”. The political guidelines of President Juncker for the next European Commission (“Agenda for Jobs, Growth, Fairness and Democratic Change”) highlight the need for a new approach to enable Europe to address the regional and global challenges ahead. His agenda highlights in particular the importance of:  Stimulating private investment in the real economy in particular in the areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency (policy area 1: A new Boost for Jobs, Growth and Investment);  Strengthening the share of renewable energies and harnessing the potential of green growth as both an industrial policy imperative and a climate change imperative (policy area 2: A Resilient Energy Union with a Forward-Looking Climate Change Policy); Capital markets, investors and shareholders can play a critical role in fostering these objectives. Encouraging all participants in the European capital markets to focus greater attention towards long-term performance is a key condition for this. Within this agenda, Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) issues have an important role to play. Sustainable and Responsible Investment is a generic term covering any type of investment process that combines investors’ financial objectives with their concerns about ESG issues. By doing so, SRI requires investors to understand how investee companies manage their environmental and social risks and impacts and develop long-term sustainable growth strategies for their business. Behind SRI is the notion that ESG factors are direct or indirect value drivers that are material to the long-term success and performance of a business, both in terms of risks and opportunities. From that perspective, Eurosif has welcomed and actively advocated for a number of initiatives and legislative proposals initiated and progressed by the past Barroso Commission such as the Communication on Long Term Financing of the European Economy, the Proposal on non-financial and Diversity Disclosure or more recently the proposal for a revised Shareholder Rights Directive.

Eurosif aisbl | 333 Rue du Progrès, B-1030 Brussels | Belgium | Telephone: +32 (0)2 274 14 35 Email: contact@eurosif.org | Website: www.eurosif.org Page 1 of 8


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
Eurosif SRI agenda 2014 by Eurosif Aisbl - Issuu