Editorial ESG News 3/2024

Dear Readers, 

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) - all these regulations are directives or regulations that originate from the EU Green Deal and fall under the heading of ‘ESG - Environmental Social Governance’. With the re-election of Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in July 2024, the course has been set to continue the climate change and ESG projects that have been started. The aim is still for the EU to be the first climate-neutral continent by 2050. In her plans for her second term of office, Ursula von der Leyen makes it clear that the competitiveness of the EU and its companies must be strengthened to be prepared for the global market and against future crises. The ‘Clean Industrial Deal’, which rests on four pillars, is intended to be a key thrust: (1) planning certainty and simpler regulations, (2) rapid access to funding, (3) expansion of competences and (4) open trade for resilient supply chains. In essence, it is about Europe taking a leading role in the clean-tech race that is already underway and Europe's citizens benefiting from it. ​“For our companies and people, it means turning skills into quality jobs and innovation into mass production, thanks to a simpler and faster framework. Better access to finance will allow our key clean tech industries to scale up quickly.”,¹ said Ursula von der Leyen.