A large group of civil society organisations have today set out their joint vision of what sustainable finance in Europe should look like, ahead of political transitions in the EU.

Nine NGOs and trade unions across Europe, including ShareAction, WWF, Global Witness, and E3G, have drafted a declaration listing their priorities for the year ahead, calling on policy-makers to create a regulatory framework that mainstreams human rights considerations, and encourages investors to measure the impacts of their activities on communities and the environment.

The groups, which also include the European Coalition for Corporate Justice, Frank Bold, the Nordic Financial Unions, UNI Europa Finance, and Sustainable Energy, launch their statement in Brussels today at the European Responsible Investment Network (ERIN) conference. They hope to influence the next stage of the EU's Sustainable Finance agenda ahead of the upcoming change of mandate for the Commission following Parliament elections.

The statement praises the Commission for the ambition of its sustainable finance agenda until now, which has led to unprecedented developments in financial services policy. For example, the Commission proposed a law that would force investors to disclose all financially material environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks.

Its work on the taxonomy (labelling system) for what constitutes a ‘green’ investment is also welcomed by campaigners and has led to positive developments on factoring in the unintended human rights impacts of those green activities.

However, regulation at EU level must now move on to actively seek ‘to shift capital from brown to green’ and enshrine the non-financial impacts of finance on people’s lives.

Eleni Choidas, EU policy manager at ShareAction, said: “With EU Parliamentary elections coming up in May and a new to-do list for the Commission, there has never been a more important time for coordinated civil society efforts across Europe. The EU has a real opportunity to redesign our economy not just to make our capital markets secure for the long term but to make sure our environment and citizens enjoy the same security now and in retirement.”

Rachel Owens, Head of EU Advocacy, Global Witness said: “For decades investors have turned a blind eye to wide spread land grabbing, human rights abuses and deforestation in the developing world without consequence. Decades of damage prove that voluntary measures for Europe’s financial sector are not enough – European governments must regulate now to make good on their claims that they want to stop climate change and protect human rights.”

Michael Budolfsen, President of UNI Europa Finance, said: “Sustainability is about finding joint solutions to common challenges that know no borders. We need European cooperation and we need everybody on board to get solutions that last and leave everybody better off. In other words, the debate on sustainable finance requires a strong involvement of both the sector, the trade unions, NGOs and politicians.”

Notes to editors:

• For more information, please contact Beau O’Sullivan at beau.osullivan@shareaction.org or on +44203 475 7859
• The full statement can be found here
• The European Responsible Investment Network, coordinated by ShareAction, is a group of 40 organisations across 12 countries working on sustainable finance.
• ShareAction’s vision is a world where ordinary savers and institutional investors work together to ensure our communities and environment are safe and sustainable for all. Our mission is to unleash the positive potential of the mainstream investment system. To do this: We’re building a movement for change in our investment system by working with people inside and outside the industry to challenge the status quo; We’re unlocking the positive potential of the investment system by working with large and small investors to change unsustainable corporate practices; We’re reforming the investment system by advocating for change in the policies, governance, and incentives that drive behaviours in the investment industry.