Pensioenfondsen, verzekeraars, banken: geef financiële sector rol in de CSDDD

Dutch pension funds, insurers, and banks are urging in a letter the inclusion of the financial sector in the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), a proposal requiring companies to conduct sustainability due diligence to prevent human rights violations and environmental damage in their value chains.
The Dutch financial sector argues that companies, including financial institutions, can play a crucial role in addressing such issues. While the European Parliament and Council are currently debating the proposal, the Council suggests allowing individual member states to decide whether to include the financial sector, potentially leading to varied regulations across Europe.
Instead, they advocate for bringing financial institutions under the CSDDD based on a risk-based approach similar to the OECD Guidelines, stressing the importance of consistency with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. The Dutch financial sector emphasizes the need for international consistency and highlights the impact investors can make through engagement with companies**.
This call follows previous efforts by the Pension Federation for specific rules for investors and asset managers within the CSDDD.
The associations express willingness to provide concrete proposals on how the financial sector should be included in the CSDDD during trialogue negotiations.