New: Our podcast on the draft Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive is published

The third episode of the podcast series Sustainability Made in Europe: A Policy Podcast on Finance, Reporting & Governance is launched! This third episode focusses is available, focusing on the draft Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).

In the podcast, Sven Gentner, Head of Corporate Reporting, Audit and Rating Agencies at the European Commission’s Directorate General for Financial Stability, Financial Services and Capital Markets Union (DF FISMA), and Prof. Dr. Alexander Bassen, Professor of Business Administration, in particular Capital Markets & Corporate Governance at the University of Hamburg and member of the German Advisory Council on Sustainable Development (RNE), discuss the draft directive from a political and content perspective.

Previous episodes

In the first two episodes, high-ranking experts contribute their knowledge and experience from the negotiations on the European Green Deal and the draft Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDD). With a mixture of interviews and background information, the European Green Deal as well as EU sustainability policy in general is examined from different perspectives. Click here for the first three episodes of the podcast series.

Next episode

Another episode on EU taxonomy will be published in the coming weeks.

Discussing our work in the context of geopolitical developments

Council representatives, secretary generals and directors of eleven advisory councils e-met to discuss the impact of the war in Ukraine upon topics advisory councils work on, such as climate change, environment and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development.

Participants also discussed how advisory councils can take the lead in the transformation process towards a sustainable Europe by 2030, while possibly facing a more challenging climate, including shifting budgets and political focus.

The matters discussed will: 1) feed into the EEAC Network’s contribution to the European policy level, 2) help to shape the EEAC Working Groups’ agenda’s and 3) enrich the advice that individual or consortia of advisory bodies can give to their governments and parliaments.

Welcome to the EEAC Network’s 30th anniversary conference in Helsinki on 14-15 September

We have the pleasure of inviting you to the 30th anniversary conference of the EEAC Network in Helsinki, Finland, on the 14 –15 of September 2022.

Finland’s three independent scientific advisory panels – The Expert Panel for Sustainable Development, The Finnish Climate Change Panel and The Finnish Nature Panel – are hosting the event. The theme of the conference is The Critical Decade of Action: Mobilising Sustainability Transformation in Europe.

Please consult the draft programme HERE & make sure to REGISTER or get more information on the conference webpage HERE

Advisory councils engage in joint work in the context of CBD COP15

A group of representatives from advisory councils from Belgium, Catalonia, Flanders, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal met to discuss the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework. Council representatives took stock of the ongoing negotiations ahead of the Nairobi (June) and Kunming (August/September) meetings.

Furthermore, council representatives discussed issues such as Target 3 (which calls on countries to ensure that at least 30% of the world’s lands and marine areas are protected for nature by 2030) financing the Global Biodiversity Framework ( lack of finance to be considered on of the main reasons for not reaching Aichi targets) and the relation between climate and biodiversity.

Insights and views shared by council representatives are to be utilized as input for an EEAC Chairman’s letter that will be sent in the context of the finalization of the CDB COP15 negotiations this summer.  Next steps are scheduled for the period June and July.

Latest publication: Towards a reliable expansion of onshore wind energy in Germany

The German Advisory Council on the Environment (SRU) published a short English-language summary of its statement on the expansion of onshore wind energy in Germany.

Onshore wind energy is one of the pillars of the energy transition. Germany can only reach its climate targets if onshore wind is developed much faster. However, in the last few years the expansion has almost stalled. The statement “Climate protection needs tailwind: Towards a reliable expansion of onshore wind energy” shows how challenges can be met.The most important reason for the faltering expansion of wind energy is that too few areas have been designated and secured in spatial planning. In addition, some German regions (Länder) have set distances between wind turbines and residential areas that cannot be justified in terms of protecting residents. The lack of standards in nature conservation and species protection leads to legal uncertainties. In general, the planning and approval procedures for wind turbines are error-prone and lengthy. Regions in which wind energy is used also benefit too little from the energy transition. This has an impact on local acceptance. There is also a need for change in the area of funding. Read More