The European Commission published the list of members of the Platform on Sustainable Finance. As required by the Taxonomy Regulation, the Platform on Sustainable Finance will advise the Commission on the development of robust and science-based technical screening criteria for the EU taxonomy, and policy development, amongst other things. In response to the call for applications published in June 2020, the Commission selected 50 members and 9 special observers on the basis of their environmental, sustainable finance or social/human rights expertise.
The Commission has also appointed Mr Nathan Fabian, as Chair of the Platform. Mr Fabian has served as rapporteur for the taxonomy sub-group of the Technical Expert Group on Sustainable Finance (TEG) and he has fifteen years of professional experience in sustainable finance in government policy, investment research and ratings on companies, and the development of investment processes and tools.
Also continuing from the TEG are Brenda Kramer, responsible investment adviser at PGGM, and Andreas Hoepner, professor of operational risk, banking and finance at University College Dublin, but appointed in a personal capacity.
The Platform will reach out to a wide range of stakeholders through both public consultations and targeted outreach. In this context, it will be of critical importance to involve the scientific community, in order to strengthen even more the level of ambition and impartiality of the EU Taxonomy. The deliverables and the progress of their work will be published on the European Commission’s dedicated webpage on sustainable finance.
As mentioned, a number of European and international institutions contributing to the development of sustainable finance have been invited as observers to the Platform.
Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President for an Economy that Works for the People, said: “This Sustainable Finance Platform will provide valuable ideas and input in our work to drive green finance forward and to develop the taxonomy, which will play a crucial role in channelling investment into green economic activities. It has been heartening to see such tremendous interest from such a wide range of experts and stakeholders to join the Platform. We have struck a very careful balance in selecting people from a wide range of sectors including civil society, industry and academia, and with different skills. I look forward to working closely with the Platform over the next months.” The Commission remains committed to working on a transition towards climate neutrality, which will be based on a broad range of energy sources and technology solutions, as well as smarter use of our natural assets. In this context, the Commission services will continue engaging with experts from the European Parliament and the Member States to inform them and receive feedback about the progress in implementing the Taxonomy Regulation and on the progress of the Platform’s work. A Q&A document, the full list of members and details on their mandate, can be found here.
