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.