UNEP FI has over 260 members in Europe, accounting for over 50% of total membership. Work in the region focuses on fostering leadership amongst members and supporting institutions, including those starting their sustainability journey through several engagement and collabaration channels – research, workshops, working groups and event engagement.
Key priorities focus concretely on engaging banks and regulators to ensure that compliance with mandatory regulatory requirements and voluntary commitments made under UNEP FI are complementary, enhancing high levels of sustainability integration. UNEP FI also works with an extensive network of partners to promote and communicate across the region, with the objective of growing sustainability and responsible finance practices among European financial institutions.
Regional Highlights
- UNEP FI’s new CSRD/ESRS implementation support programme features key aspects of CSRD/ESRS implementation formember banks, particularly focusing on the challenges they face at different stages in the implementation process. Find out more here. If you are a UNEP FI member, please visit this page to view the calendar of activities and register for sessions.
- The PRB Academy for Central Asia, a regionally contextualised version of the Academy, will be offered beginning in September 2024. For more information on this work in Central Asia, contact Daniel Bouzas and Madina Inbrasheva.
- UNEP FI has released a UNEP FI-ESRS Interoperability Package to help banks leverage the close alignment between the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB), using the UNEP FI Holistic Impact Methodology. Find out more here.
Key focus
The workplan for 2024 for the region highlights the following priorities:
Together with the Policy & Regulation Team at UNEP FI, the work on regulation in Europe is focused on:
- Ensure members are able to deliver on both their mandatory regulatory requirements as well as the commitments made under UNEP FI initiatives
- Connect mandatory and voluntary approaches to ensure that compliance is achieved. This is done through specific analytical work, capacity building, etc.
- Engaging directly with European regulators, alongside the UNEP FI Policy and Regulation team, to ensure that an ambitious agenda is sustained that enables the achievement of the UN SDGs and Paris Climate Agreement goals.
Given the vast differences between the profiles of European member organisations, our focus is on ensuring that all institutions, big and small, are able to develop and maintain ambitious commitments and targets. We also support members at the start of their sustainability journeys with consistent yet diversified approaches.
A key focus for membership development is also on new jurisdictions, continuing our commitment and engagement for sustainable finance development in Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, Caucasus and Central Asia.
In order to deliver on our key objectives across Europe, we leverage our supporting institutions, endorsers and other stakeholders to increase sustainability integration into the activities of financial Institutions. We work with partners at all levels and on various projects.
Are you already a UNEP FI member? Find the latest regional news, key resources and more in the Members’ Area.
Regional Implementation Programme & Training
UNEP FI has a range of training and region-specific activities in online and in workshop formats. For further information on each of these offerings, please visit the Learning and Development for Finance Professionals section.
The Principles for Responsible Academy offers sustainability training for banking professionals, helping embed principles of sustainability in everyday practice, strategies, operations and decision-making, laying the grounds for an integrated way of banking responsibly. The PRB Academy for Central Asia, a regionally contextualised version of the Academy, will be offered beginning in September 2024. For more information on this work in Central Asia, contact Daniel Bouzas and Madina Inbrasheva.
UNEP FI also offers a wide range of implementation support activities to members, consisting of regionally tailored workshops designed to support finance professionals implement frameworks such as the Principles for Responsible Banking (PRB) and Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA). These activities cover climate adaptation, nature, financial health and inclusion and most recently, climate mitigation in collaboration with GFANZ. Access the full calendar and check for updates in the Members‘ Area. Please contact Flora Petrucci for any questions on the regional implementation programme and Carlota Gomez Tapia for climate mitigation activities.
Non-members can also view the different activities they have access to in their regions here.
Regional Projects and Resources
Applying the EU Taxonomy to bank lending
A joint project between UNEP FI and the European Banking Federation (EBF) started in 2019, where 25+ banks, more than 10 banking associations and a selected group of observers worked together to advance their understanding of the application of the EU Taxonomy to bank lending.
Aligning UNEP FI PRB Impact Analysis with ESRS
UNEP FI launched a new working group to support member banks implement the Principles for Responsible Banking whilst delivering on EU regulatory reporting requirements. This group is aimed at facilitating peer exchange and the development of an “ESRS Monitoring & Disclosure Module” within the Portfolio Impact Analysis Tool for Banks. The Module will aggregate and translate the outputs of the existing Tool Modules into ESRS formats and requirements, and help banks with their impact materiality assessment in accordance with ESRS 1 and ESRS 2. To find out more, please contact us.
CSRD/ESRS Implementation Programme
UNEP FI’s new implementation programme of members-only webinars will feature key aspects of CSRD/ESRS implementation, particularly focusing on the challenges banks face at different stages in the process. These tailored sessions will empower members with practical guidance to dive deeper into key regulatory issues and discover how to apply them to their own institution. Find out more here. If you are a UNEP FI member, please visit this page to view the calendar of activities and register for sessions.
