The Economy for the Common Good (ECG) and OXFAM with the collaboration of Future-Fit Foundation, Frank Bold and the Alliance for Corporate Transparency (ACT) invite you to join a discussion on the most contentious issues in the EU sustainability instruments and initiatives.

Date: 29 September, 2021, 12:00-13:30h  [Admission: 11:30; Press interviews 13:30-14:00]

Venue: Press Club Brussels Europe | Rue Froissart 95 | 1040 Brussels.

Live-stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZiO8IWOKr8&ab_channel=ecogood-EconomyfortheCommonGood-official 

Registration: https://bit.ly/3wRYDqB

Most companies in the EU do not disclose relevant sustainability information covering environmental impacts, social and human rights and other ethical issues. There is an urgent need to significantly extend such reporting obligations. Especially the proposal for a Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) could have ground-breaking effects. However, many gaps and weaknesses remain in the current proposal and, if unamended, may not lead to the significant change that society needs. The event will provide an overview of the most contentious points in the CSRD proposal and give suggestions to strengthen the legislation. It will examine how EU policymakers, Member States, businesses and investors, as well as civil society actors can support the EU sustainability initiatives, with a focus on how to provide more pertinent, reliable, and comparable data. It will also explore the interlinkages between the proposal and coherent macroeconomic reforms that support the targeted socio-ecological transformation.

The following topics will be discussed in the event:

  1. Overview of EU sustainability instruments and initiatives
  2. What are the most contentious issues in the CSRD proposal in terms of scope, content, auditing, impact, and standard setting? How can they be addressed effectively?
  3. How to ensure that the most ambitious social and ecological standards of existing frameworks will be used?
  4. How will civil society participation be ensured in the standard setting process?
  5. Way forward: Concrete recommendations for EU policymakers

Agenda

11:30-12:00 Admission

Opening

Bridget Knapper, Economy for the Common Good (ECG)
Susanna Arus, Frank Bold/Alliance for Corporate Transparency

Keynotes

Antje von Dewitz, CEO of VAUDE
Pascal Durand, Member of the European Parliament (Renew)

Panel discussion and Q&A

  • Sirpa Pietikäinen, Member of the European Parliament (EPP)
  • Antje Schneeweiß, Managing Director of Arbeitskreis Kirchlicher Investoren (AKI)
  • Caroline Avan, Oxfam Corporate Governance Advocacy Officer
  • Tom Dodd, Representative of the European Commission, DG FISMA

Moderated by Christian Felber, Founder of the Economy for the Common Good

Conclusion by Martin Rich, Co-Founder of Future-Fit Foundation

13:30 – 14:00 Press Q&A and interviews

Further Information

For travelers to Belgium, don’t forget to fill in your Passenger Locator Form in the 48h before you arrive.

During the event, please post questions and observations using the hashtag #CorpReportingGaps and keep an eye on the Twitter handle @EconCommonGood. If you wish to be kept up to date on the ECG, subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.ecogood.org/get-involved/newsletter

Download this invitation here.