EU banking package and sustainability

Posted on October 28, 2021 by Miguel Chamochin

On 27 October 2021, the European Commission adopted a review of EU banking rules (the Capital Requirements Regulation – CRR – and the Capital Requirements Directive – CRD IV). These new rules will ensure that EU banks become more resilient to potential future economic shocks.

The package implements Basel III, stablishes new sustainability rules, and provides stronger enforcement tools for supervisors overseeing EU Banks.

Concerning Sustainability, it intends to strength the resilience of the banking sector to ESG risks, aligned with the Commission’s Sustainable Finance Strategy. It improves the way banks measure and manage these risks, ensuring that markets can monitor what banks are doing. This proposal will require banks to systematically identify, disclose and manage ESG risks as part of their risk management. It includes regular climate stress testing by both supervisors and banks. Supervisors will need to assess ESG risks as part of regular supervisory reviews. All banks will also have to disclose the degree to which they are exposed to ESG risks. To avoid undue administrative burdens for smaller banks, disclosure rules will be proportionate.

The proposed measures will not only make the banking sector more resilient, but also ensure that banks take into account sustainability considerations.

European Sustainability Reporting Standards

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Miguel Chamochin

Cluster 2 of the EFRAG’s Project Task Force on European Sustainability Reporting Standards (PTF-ESRS) has published a Climate Standard Prototype working paper as well as an accompanying basis for conclusions. EFRAG said that these documents are a “robust basis for future PTF-ESRS discussions and a further step towards a draft standard.” The PTF-ESRS continues to work on draft standards covering sustainability issues requested in the CSRD proposal

Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFRD) – Q&A published by the EU Commision

Posted on August 2, 2021 by Miguel Chamochin

The following points were addressed:

1. The 500-employee criterion includes employees of a parent undertaking and of subsidiary undertakings regardless of whether they are established inside or outside the EU.

2. The definition of ‘financial market participant’ outlined in the regulation includes both EU Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFMs) and non-EU AIFMs.

3. Registered AIFMs must also fulfil the requirements laid down in the SFDR.

4. In addition to ‘sustainable investments’, Article 9 products may also include investments for specific purposes such as hedging or liquidity, which must meet minimum environmental or social safeguards.

5. A financial product that promotes environmental, social or sustainability requirements or restrictions laid down in law, including international conventions or voluntary codes, in its investment policy is subject to Article 8. Additionally, financial products having an environmental objective but not meeting the DNSH principle should also qualify as Article 8 products.

Furthermore, the promotion of ESG characteristics does not refer solely to pre-contractual disclosures, but also to a broad range of documents including marketing communications, advertisements, use of product names or designations, and factsheets.

This Q&A was published in response to questions asked by the European ESAs (ESMA, EIOPIA and EBA). It provides clarity for financial market participants in response to a broad range of questions relating to the disclosure requirements specified in the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation 2019/2088.

Spain’ Sovereign Green Bond Issuance in September

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Miguel Chamochin

The Spanish Sovereign Green Bond Framework is aligned with the four core components of the Green Bond Principles 2021 (GBP) and follows best market practices identified by Vigeo Eiris (VE). The Kingdom of Spain’s Sovereign Sustainability Rating from VE is 78/100, which indicates an ‘advanced’ sustainability performance, the highest level on VE’s four-point scale.

Spain will sell its inaugural green bond in September. The Spanish Treasury’s first such bond will have a 20-year maturity. Spanish government did not specify how much it plans to raise, though the government has identified 13.6 billion euros ($16.1 billion) of projects to finance or refinance projects tied to the country’s environmental objectives, including renewable energy, biodiversity protection, and climate change adaptation.

In addition, Spain will invest around 20 billion euros on other environmental programs through 2023 that will be financed by the European Union’s executive arm. The bloc is also expected to make its green bond debut later this year and ultimately become the world’s biggest seller, channelling those funds to member states as part of its pandemic recovery package.

The EU has also laid out a voluntary green bond framework and Spain plans to align its spending with the bloc’s classification of sustainable investments, or taxonomy. The first green bond is included in the country’s plan to issue 80 billion euros of net debt this year.

Spain’s Sovereign Green Bond Framework: https://bit.ly/3zNr22V

Vigeo Eiris’ Second Party Opinion: https://bit.ly/3rGEP8v

The EU Fit for 55 Package

Posted on July 17, 2021 by Miguel Chamochin

It is intended to fundamentally revise the EU’s energy policy framework and thus adapt it to the EU updated climate targets. By 2030, the EU’s GHE are to be reduced by 55% compared to the amount emitted in 1990. While the focus in December 2021 will be on decarbonised gas and the buildings sector, ten initiatives was planned last 14 July 2021. Overall, the “Fit for 55 Package” with the initiatives listed below is the central measures package of the European Green Deal:

1.- Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), including maritime transport, aviation and CORSIA

2.- Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)

3.- Revision of the Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR)

4.- Revision of the Energy Tax Directive (ETD)

5.- Amendments to the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) to implement the ambition of the new 2030 climate target

6.- Amendments to the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) to implement the ambition of the new 2030 climate target

7.- Reduction of methane emissions in the energy sector

8.- Revision of the regulation on the inclusion of greenhouse gas emissions and removals from land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF)

9.- Revision of the Directive on the Deployment of Alternative Fuels Infrastructure

10.- Revision of the Regulation setting CO2 standards for new passenger cars and for new light commercial vehicles

11.- Revision of the Third Energy Package for gas (Directive 2009/73/EU and Regulation 715/2009/EU) to regulate competitive decarbonised gas markets in Q4 2021

12.- Revision of the energy performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) in Q4 2021

Vice-President Franz Timmermans presented the plans in Brussels last Wednesday. That was the kick-off for a long process, looking for agreement among the Commission, the Parliament, and the Member States. This will be a challenge, as the new seems to be on achieving the reduction targets, which open to the countries’ challenges of what adjustments are necessary to achieve them. Another key aspect is how to support industries and companies that compete with others abroad EU, maintain international competitiveness. Specially with competitors in countries where the financial burden of environmental protection is lower. Nowadays, these are only draft initiatives, we do not know yet when the implementation will begin in the individual Member States, and what specific content will have agreed on at that time.

This stablishes the EU positioning of climate policy in everyday Europeans’ life, impacting firms and the way Europe makes business. It is key to ensure no one must be left behind in the process, to guarantee a social and society fair transition.

Commission puts forward New strategy for Sustainable Finance and proposes new European Green Bond Standard

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Miguel Chamochin

The Commission also adopted yesteday a Delegated Act on the information to be disclosed by financial and non-financial companies about how sustainable their activities are, based on Article 8 of the EU Taxonomy.

Thus, EU took another major step towards achieving the goals in the Green Deal by ensuring a comprehensive approach to funding the green transition.

EU proposed incorporating climate-related risks into banks’ capital requirements. The challenge for lenders is weaning themselves off their lending exposure to fossil fuels. Their initial disclosures have been limited and commercial lenders still have “patchy” data regarding their exposure to climate change.

The ECB will hold a stress test next year to see how their balance sheets may fare as the climate and economy shifts. EU states will be asked to assess by June 2023 how their financial markets contribute to reaching the bloc’s climate goals. ECB will then calibrate the right pace for the transition by setting intermediate targets for the financial sector. Insurance capital rules may also be similarly amended.

The Commission confirmed it will publish taxonomy rules later this year for agriculture, certain industries and possibly nuclear and gas power plants. EU needed to guard against the risks associated with the transition, thus considering an “intermediate taxonomy” that would allow transition bonds.

The strategy seeks to empower individuals and the bloc’s 23 million SME by defining green loans and mortgages by 2022. New accounting rules may also be needed to “recognise and report” ESG risks in financial statements.

The strategy sets out a positive vision of the reform needed in the financial system to support the European economy.

New EU measures for transitioning to a Sustainable Economy

Posted on July 1, 2021 by Miguel Chamochin

The EU Strategy for Financing the Transition to a Sustainable Economy, and the rulebook for green bonds will be unveiled next week. They center around the Green Deal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The EU strategy will propose tightening reporting requirements for financial entities, by incorporating climate-related risks into credit ratings and bank capital requirements. It will also enable supervisors to address greenwashing.

The European Commission (EC) will invite the ESMA to assess how ESG factors are incorporated by credit rating agencies and will consider proposing an initiative to make sure those risks are captured by the assessments. The EC will also ask the ECB to conduct regular climate change stress tests.

The strategy paves the way for financing activities such as natural gas during the transition, after Germany and Poland pushed for including it in the taxonomy, despite the resistance of the others member states. Thus, BAU is falling under the agenda of sustainable finance.

Supervision of ESG risks for credit institutions and investment firms

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Miguel Chamochin

The European Banking Authority (EBA) published yesterday a report which provides recommendations for institutions to incorporate ESG risks-related considerations in strategies and objectives, governance structures, and to manage these risks as drivers of financial risks in their risk appetite and internal capital allocation process. The EBA also recommends developing methodologies and approaches to test the long-term resilience of institutions against ESG factors and risks including the use of scenario analysis.

EBA sees a need applying at least a 10 years horizon to capture ESG related risks, proposing a phase-in approach. This Report should be considered in conjunction with the EBA and ESAs disclosure publications under the Capital Requirements Regulation (CRR), the Taxonomy Regulation and the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR). The EBA will publish Pillar 3 disclosure requirements on ESG risks, transition risks and physical risks, as defined in this Report, later this year.

The report will be taken into consideration in the context of the Renewed Sustainable Finance Strategy, the review of CRR/CRD, and an update of the SREP Guidelines to include ESG risks in the supervision of credit institutions.

Countries’ map developing National Action Plans (NAPs) on Business and Human Rights

Posted on June 23, 2021 by Miguel Chamochin

NAPs are policy documents in which a government articulates priorities and actions that it will adopt to support the implementation of international, regional, or national obligations and commitments with regard to a given policy area or topic.

The UN Working Group on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises (UN Working Group), mandated by the Human Rights Council to promote the effective and comprehensive implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), noted in its 2016 Guidance on business and human rights NAPs that they can be an important means to promote the implementation of the UNGPs.

The ESG Green Bond Principles (GBP) 2021 edition has been updated by the International Capital Market Association @ICMA

Posted on June 22, 2021 by Miguel Chamochin

The GBP seek to support issuers in financing environmentally sound & sustainable projects that foster a net-zero emissions economy & protect the environment. An estimated 97% of sustainable bonds issued globally in 2020 referenced the Principles.

The four core components that an issuer should disclose to align with the GBP remain unchanged (use of procedes, evaluation & selection, management of procedes, & reporting). The GBP identifies recommendations regarding green bond frameworks and external reviews for heightened transparency. It recommends heightened transparency for issuer-level sustainability strategies & commitments. It recognises that ongoing developments of taxonomies may require parties to consider such taxonomies when determining the environmental sustainability of projects.

The 2021 editions of the the Social Bond Principles (SBP) & the Sustainability Bond Guidelines (SBG) have been similarly revised. The 2021 edition of the Guidance Handbook has also been updated & reflects such revisions.

Miguel Chamochin´s Blog

Transformation: Digitalization & Sustainability. @AgendaCAF & Professor @IEuniversity. Passionate about this wonderfull planet. Dad, longlife learner, runner.

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