In this episode of Sustainability Bridges, we are joined by special guest Professor Thorsten Sellhorn, Director of the Institute for Accounting, Auditing and Analysis at the Munich School of Management, part of the Ludwig-Maximilian-University of Munich.

During the episode, Professor Sellhorn walks us through the findings of his insightful research that analyses the firstsustainability reports that large companies published in line with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). He also details the information and data points available through the Sustainability Reporting Navigator, an AI-driven platform that allows anyone to search through the sustainability reports of over 500 large European companies, of which he is a co-founder.

Professor Sellhorn also gives his expert opinion on the future of the EU Sustainable Finance regulatory framework and theEuropean Commission’s Omnibus simplification proposals, explaining the impact these proposals will have on the corporate reporting landscape and beyond, and how we can simplify without losing substance. 

For this episode of Sustainability Bridges, special guest Nathalie Dogniez, Chair of Eurosif and independent director with more than 30 years’ experience within the financial sector, joins Pierre Garrault, Eurosif’s Senior Policy Adviser, to discuss the perspective of the financial industry on recent and future developments in EU sustainable finance.

As part of the episode, Nathalie gives her view on the European Commission’s proposed omnibus initiative, highlighting that while no regulation or standard is perfect on day one, adjustments and recalibrations should not come at the expense of the ambition of the EU sustainable finance framework. While the first year of reporting under new regulations is always challenging, applying these rules would ultimately facilitate reporting for European companies and provide investors with direct digital access to their financial and non-financial data, giving EU economic actors a significant competitive edge.

For this episode of #SustainabilityBridges, special guest Patrik Karlsson, Senior Policy Officer at the European Securities and Markets Authority, joins Pierre Garrault, Eurosif’s Senior Policy Adviser, to discuss ESMA’s recent reports and opinions on the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and greenwashing.

As part of the episode, Patrik also explains ESMA’s guidelines on fund names that use ESG or sustainability-related terms and details the recent Q&As to clarify their application.

ESMA’s supervisory priorities for 2025 are also covered in depth with Patrik explaining that there will be an intensification of the focus on implementation and supervision of the Sustainable Finance EU regulatory framework. Finally, Pierre and Patrik look ahead to the future of sustainable finance in light of the current political focus on streamlining regulatory requirements.

For the first episode of Sustainability Bridges in 2025, special guest Rachel Owens, Director of Climate Finance at the European Climate Foundation, joins Aleksandra Palinska, Eurosif’s Executive Director, to discuss the importance of sustainable investments for growth and competitiveness and the changing political landscape in the EU and beyond.

Drawing on numerous real-world examples, both Rachel and Aleksandra emphasise that the case for sustainable finance being a competitive advantage for business and beneficial for economic growth and competitiveness is just as strong as it is for tackling climate change and protecting people and planet. The two are ultimately intertwined as sustainability disclosures and high-quality data are a necessity for investors to make informed investment decisions and better manage risks in their portfolios. At a macroeconomic level, consideration and integration of sustainability risks is key for protecting against environmental, political and financial crises that are likely to increase in frequency due to climate change and a more isolationist political reality.

During the episode, Rachel also shares her thoughts on the new European Commission’s Omnibus initiative, that will propose to reopen a number of key sustainable finance regulations. Rachel’s view is that this will create unnecessary confusion in the market, while also negatively impacting the resilience of the European economy to future shocks. Reopening these files would also risk eroding the EU’s global leadership role on this agenda, making the bloc more susceptible and vulnerable to the policy decisions of other jurisdictions, which is particularly problematic in the current political context.

In this episode, special guests Krzysztof Kaminski, Chairman of Sustainable Investment Forum Poland (POLSIF) and Robert Sroka, Partner at Abris Capital Partners, join Pierre Garrault, Eurosif’s Senior Policy Adviser, to discuss different approaches to sustainability investments and the development of sustainable finance in Poland and the wider CEE region.

If you're interested in the state of the sustainable finance market and the implementation of the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) in Central and Eastern Europe, or simply curious about POLSIF, its mission, and activities in driving sustainable finance in Poland, then this is the episode for you!

During the episode, Krzysztof and Robert also share their insights on key sustainable investment strategies like ‘impact investment’, ‘best in class’, ‘thematic’ and ‘exclusion-based’ investments, and look ahead to the future of sustainable investment in the region, what needs to be done and what this all means for investors.

📌 Recorded July 2024.

In this episode, special guest Dan Dionisie, Head of Unit for Company Law within DG JUST of the European Commission and Pierre Garrault, Eurosif’s Senior Policy Adviser, speak about the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

If you're interested in the CSDDD, which was recently published in the Official Journal of the European Union, its purpose, the final text and what it will mean for companies and investors, including financial institutions, then this podcast is well worth a listen!

During the episode, Dan also shares his insights on how the European Commission intends to coordinate transition plan-related requirements across the CSDDD and CSRD and looks ahead to the new European mandate and potential future areas of work for DG JUST, including a possible review of CSDDD and what lies ahead for the Shareholder Rights Directive (SRD).

📌 Recorded June 2024.

👉 In this episode, special guest Helena Viñes Fiestas, Chair of the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance and Aleksandra Palinska, Eurosif’s Executive Director, discuss the EU Taxonomy, the latest and future work of the Platform, including a draft methodology on monitoring capital flows, and much more!

👥 Alongside her role as the Chair of the EU Platform on Sustainable Finance, Helena is also co-Chair of the Taskforce on Net Zero Policy and Commissioner of the Spanish Financial Market Authority. Helena was previously Global Head of Sustainability at BNP Paribas Asset Management and a Member of the EU Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance and the UN Secretary General High-Level Expert Group on Net Zero Pledges.

💬 In this podcast, Helena and Aleksandra look ahead to what is next for the future development of the EU Taxonomy, including the political viability of extending the framework in the future to incorporate significantly harmful economic activities and the possibility of creating a social taxonomy. Helena also shares her insights on the latest data on the application and implementation of the EU Taxonomy and gives her recommendations for the future EU Sustainable Finance Framework.

🎧 We hope you enjoy listening!

👉 In this episode, special guest Kim Smouter-Umans, Executive Director of the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) and Pierre Garrault, Eurosif’s Senior Policy Adviser, discuss the intersection between DEI and climate justice throughout ENAR’s activities, including the ENAR Foundation’s Racial and Economic Justice Investment Fund, as well as Eurosif’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) workstream.

👥 Founded in 1998, ENAR is a pan-European anti-racism network that aims to make decisive progress towards racial equality in all EU Member States and ultimately, to end structural racism and discrimination in the European Union. Prior to joining ENAR, Kim was Head of Public Affairs at (ESOMAR) the global association for market social and opinion research and was also one of the founding fathers of the ESOMAR Foundation, its charitable arm.

💬 During the discussion, Kim outlines the specific impacts of climate change on marginalised communities and gives his perspective on ways to scale up investment from a broader range of financial market participants in support of these communities, in order to ensure a just and fair transition. Kim also gives his view on the perceived challenges of diversity data gathering via sustainability reporting and looks ahead to the European elections and what can be done to raise awareness of these issues among EU decision-makers.

🎧 We hope you enjoy listening!

👉 In this episode, special guest Sven Gentner, Head of Unit for corporate reporting, audit and credit rating agencies within DG FISMA and Aleksandra Palinska, Eurosif’s Executive Director, discuss CSRD, ESRS, CSDDD, the interoperability of sustainability standards and much more.

👥 Sven joined the European Commission in 2004 and has served in numerous positions both in Brussels and abroad. Sven previously headed DG FISMA’s unit in charge of asset management, that amongst others developed the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) and was a counsellor in the Economic and Financial Affairs Section of the Delegation of the European Union to the United States.

💬 In this podcast, Aleksandra and Sven discuss the achievements of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and European Sustainability Reporting Standards, and how the requirements for these frameworks will coordinate with other EU regulations, like the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive. Sven also gives his insight on the interoperability of sustainability reporting between EU and wider international standards like ISSB and looks ahead to the development of sector-specific standards in the future.

🎧 We hope you enjoy listening!

👉 In this episode, Paul Tang, a senior member of the European Parliament, and Aleksandra Palinska, Eurosif’s Executive Director, discuss SFDR, EUGBS and EU Sustainable Finance.

👥 Paul, representing the Dutch Labour Party (Partij van de Arbeid – PvdA) in the European group of Socialists and Democrats, has been rapporteur for the European Parliament on numerous high-profile files, including the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR), the EU Green Bond Standard (EUGBS), and Simple, Transparent and Standardised Securitisations. After ten years, Paul will be stepping down from the European Parliament when the body is dissolved ahead of European elections taking place in June.  

💬 In this podcast, Aleksandra and Paul discuss the review of SFDR, the transition perspective of the European Green Bond standards and reflect on the current state and future of EU sustainable finance. Paul also shares his thoughts on the European elections later this year and what these may mean for the future of sustainable finance in the EU.

🎧 We hope you enjoy listening!