In December Frank Bold team co-organised a meeting of NGOs and representatives of the Member States of the European Union. The all-day meeting in Brussels was prepared in cooperation with our colleagues from European Environmental Bureau and Client Earth.
Our lawyer Laura Otýpková discussed the possible ways of improvement of the culture of regulating industrial activities with experts from Sweden, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands. This topic is very relevant because of the ongoing industrial emissions directive review process which is being carried out by the European Commission.
We shared our insight into the topics of setting of conditions in integrated permits, derogations from emission limits or public participation and access to information with the experts. We discussed also the good practice, which was presented by the representatives of European member states.
The EU Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) are now officially a Delegated Regulation, having been agreed by the President von der Leyen and the College of Commissioners. Barring an unexpected rejection by the co-legislators in the next two months (they can reject the standards, but cannot amend them), this is the final, fixed version of the ESRS.
The European Council has now agreed its negotiating mandate on SFDR 2.0. In several areas, it represents a significant regression from the Commission's proposal and the Parliament's subsequent draft report.
Climate risk is now a core business issue. Climate change is reshaping the business landscape, through physical disruptions to assets and operations, accelerating the urgent need to transition to a low-carbon economy. For companies of all sizes, understanding and managing these risks is no longer optional.