02023R2631 — EN — 09.01.2024 — 001.001
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REGULATION (EU) 2023/2631 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 22 November 2023 on European Green Bonds and optional disclosures for bonds marketed as environmentally sustainable and for sustainability-linked bonds (OJ L 2631 30.11.2023, p. 1) |
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REGULATION (EU) 2023/2869 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 13 December 2023 |
L 2869 |
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20.12.2023 |
REGULATION (EU) 2023/2631 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL
of 22 November 2023
on European Green Bonds and optional disclosures for bonds marketed as environmentally sustainable and for sustainability-linked bonds
(Text with EEA relevance)
TITLE I
SUBJECT MATTER AND DEFINITIONS
Article 1
Subject matter
This Regulation:
lays down uniform requirements for issuers of bonds who wish to use the designation ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’ for their bonds that are made available to investors in the Union;
establishes a system to register and supervise external reviewers of European Green Bonds; and
provides optional disclosure templates for bonds marketed as environmentally sustainable and for sustainability-linked bonds in the Union.
Article 2
Definitions
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply:
‘issuer’ means an entity that issues bonds;
‘sovereign’ means an entity referred to in Article 1(2), point (b), of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129;
‘taxonomy requirements’ means the criteria for environmentally sustainable economic activities set out in Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852;
‘regulated market’ means a regulated market as defined in Article 4(1), point (21), of Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 1 );
‘bond marketed as environmentally sustainable’ means a bond whose issuer provides investors with a commitment or any form of pre-contractual claim that the bond proceeds are allocated to economic activities that contribute to an environmental objective;
‘sustainability-linked bond’ means a bond whose financial or structural characteristics vary depending on the achievement by the issuer of predefined environmental sustainability objectives;
‘home Member State’ means a home Member State as defined in Article 2, point (m), of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129;
‘host Member State’ means a host Member State as defined in Article 2, point (n), of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129;
‘financial asset’ means debt or equity, or a combination thereof;
‘made available to investors in the Union’ means:
an offer to the public within the Union; or
the admission to trading of bonds on a trading venue located in the Union;
‘offer to the public’ means an offer of securities to the public as defined in Article 2, point (d), of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129;
‘trading venue’ means a trading venue as defined in Article 4(1), point (24), of Directive 2014/65/EU;
‘CapEx plan’ means a CapEx plan as provided for in point 1.1.2.2, point (b), and point 1.1.3.2, point (b), of Annex I to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2178;
‘issuance costs’ means costs that are directly related to the issuance of bonds, including costs incurred for professional advice, legal services, rating, external review, underwriting and placement;
‘technical screening criteria’ means the technical screening criteria set out in the delegated acts adopted pursuant to Article 10(3), 11(3), 12(2), 13(2), 14(2) or 15(2) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852;
‘transitional economic activity’ means an economic activity that complies with Article 10(2) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852;
‘enabling economic activity’ means an economic activity that complies with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852;
‘securitisation’ means securitisation as defined in Article 2, point (1), of Regulation (EU) 2017/2402;
‘originator’ means an originator as defined in Article 2, point (3), of Regulation (EU) 2017/2402;
‘securitisation special purpose entity’ or ‘SSPE’ means a securitisation special purpose entity or SSPE as defined in Article 2, point (2), of Regulation (EU) 2017/2402;
‘securitised exposure’ means an exposure included in a securitisation;
‘securitisation bond’ means a bond issued by an SSPE in accordance with Title II, Chapter 3;
‘synthetic securitisation’ means a synthetic securitisation as defined in Article 2, point (10), of Regulation (EU) 2017/2402;
‘fossil fuel’ mean fossil fuel as defined in Article 2, point (62), of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999.
TITLE II
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE USE OF THE DESIGNATION ‘EUROPEAN GREEN BOND’ OR ‘EUGB’
CHAPTER 1
Bond-related requirements
Article 3
Designation ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’
The designation ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’ shall be used only for bonds that comply with the requirements set out in this Title.
Article 4
Use of the proceeds of European Green Bonds
Before the maturity of a European Green Bond, the proceeds of such a bond shall be allocated in full, in accordance with the taxonomy requirements, to one or more of the following categories (the ‘gradual approach’):
fixed assets that are not financial assets;
capital expenditure that falls under point 1.1.2.2. of Annex I to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2178;
operating expenditure that falls under point 1.1.3.2. of Annex I to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2178 and was incurred no more than three years before the issuance of the European Green Bond;
financial assets that were created no more than five years after the issuance of the European Green Bond;
assets and expenditure of households.
By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, issuers may deduct issuance costs from the proceeds of the European Green Bond before allocating those proceeds.
Where issuers allocate proceeds in accordance with the first subparagraph of this paragraph, they shall demonstrate in the allocation reports referred to in Article 11 that the total value of the assets referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in their portfolio exceeds the total value of their portfolio of outstanding European Green Bonds.
Article 5
Flexibility in the use of the proceeds of European Green Bonds
By way of derogation from Article 4(1), issuers may allocate up to 15 % of the proceeds of a European Green Bond to economic activities that comply with the taxonomy requirements, with the exception of the technical screening criteria, provided that those activities are:
economic activities in respect of which no technical screening criteria have entered into force by the date of issuance of the European Green Bond; or
activities in the context of international support reported in accordance with internationally agreed guidelines, criteria and reporting cycles, including climate financing reported to the Commission under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as referred to in Article 19(3) of Regulation (EU) 2018/1999, and official development assistance reported to the Development Assistance Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Article 6
Financial assets
The proceeds of financial assets may be allocated to other, subsequent financial assets, provided that:
there are not more than three subsequent financial assets in succession;
the proceeds from the financial assets last in the sequence are allocated to the uses set out in Article 4(1), first subparagraph, point (a), (b), (c) or (e), or, where applicable, to the uses set out in Article 4(3); and
the issuer ensures that it is possible for external reviewers to review effectively the final allocation of proceeds.
Article 7
CapEx plans
Article 8
Application of the technical screening criteria and grandfathering
Where issuers allocate the proceeds of European Green Bonds to the uses set out in Article 4(1) and (3), they shall ensure that:
those proceeds are allocated in alignment with the technical screening criteria applicable at the time of issuance of the bond;
where technical screening criteria are amended after the issuance of the bond, the following proceeds be allocated in alignment with the amended technical screening criteria no later than seven years after the date of application of the amended criteria:
proceeds that are not yet allocated; and
proceeds that are covered by a CapEx plan in accordance with Article 7, that have not yet met the taxonomy requirements.
Article 9
Exclusion of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes
The competent authorities referred to in Article 44(1) of this Regulation shall not approve a prospectus issued by a jurisdiction listed in Annex I to the Council conclusions on the revised EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes, by a high-risk country listed in the Annex to Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1675, or by issuers established in those jurisdictions or countries, where that prospectus refers to this Regulation or to the designation ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’.
CHAPTER 2
Transparency and external review requirements
Article 10
European Green Bond factsheet and pre-issuance review
Prior to issuing a European Green Bond, issuers shall:
complete the European Green Bond factsheet set out in Annex I;
ensure that the completed European Green Bond factsheet has been subject to a pre-issuance review with a positive opinion by an external reviewer.
The pre-issuance review referred to in paragraph 1, point (b), shall contain:
an assessment of whether the issuer has completed the European Green Bond factsheet in accordance with Articles 4 to 8 and Annex I; and
the elements set out in Annex IV.
Article 11
Allocation reports and post-issuance review of allocation reports
The first 12-month period shall begin on the issuance date.
By way of derogation from the second subparagraph, issuers may set the end date of the first reporting period as the last day of the calendar year or of the financial year of issuance.
Issuers shall, in their annual allocation reports, publish the reasons for any delay or deviation that has a significant impact on the implementation of the CapEx plan.
Such post-issuance review shall not be required where, during the period covered by the allocation report, no change in allocation was made to the portfolio of assets and no asset in the portfolio was changed or was itself subject to a change in allocation, compared to the period covered by the previous allocation report. In such cases, a statement regarding the absence of post-issuance review due to the absence of such changes shall be included in the corresponding allocation report.
The post-issuance review referred to in paragraphs 4, 5 and 6 of this Article shall contain the following:
an assessment of whether the issuer has allocated the bond proceeds in accordance with Articles 4 to 8, on the basis of the information provided to the external reviewer;
an assessment of whether the issuer has allocated the bond proceeds as set out in the European Green Bond factsheet referred to in Article 10, on the basis of the information provided to the external reviewer;
the elements set out in Annex IV.
Article 12
European Green Bond impact report
Issuers of European Green Bonds may seek a review by an external reviewer of the impact report. Such impact report reviews shall contain the following:
an assessment of whether the bond issuance aligns with the broader environmental strategy of the issuer;
an assessment of the indicated environmental impact of the bond proceeds;
the elements set out in Annex IV.
Article 13
Sovereign issuers
A sovereign shall obtain post-issuance reviews of its European Green Bonds from:
an external reviewer; or
an external reviewer and a State auditor.
Article 14
Prospectus for European Green Bonds
In order to use the designation ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’, the issuer shall publish a prospectus pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 that meets the following conditions:
the bonds are designated as ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’ throughout the prospectus;
the prospectus states that the European Green Bond is issued in accordance with this Regulation, in the section of the prospectus containing the information about the use of proceeds.
Article 15
Publication on the issuer’s website and notification to ESMA and competent authorities
Issuers of European Green Bonds shall publish on their websites and make available, free of charge and in accordance with Article 21(3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, until at least 12 months have elapsed after the maturity of those bonds, the following, including any amendments or corrections thereto:
before the bond is issued, the completed European Green Bond factsheet referred to in Article 10 of this Regulation;
before the bond is issued, the pre-issuance review related to the European Green Bond factsheet referred to in Article 10 of this Regulation;
before the bond is issued, a link to the website where the prospectus can be consulted in cases where a prospectus is published pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2017/1129;
without undue delay after they are drawn up in accordance with Article 11(1) of this Regulation, the European Green Bond allocation reports;
without undue delay after they are obtained, the post-issuance reviews of the European Green Bond allocation reports referred to in Article 11 of this Regulation;
without undue delay after it is drawn up in accordance with Article 12 of this Regulation, the European Green Bond impact report;
where applicable, the CapEx plan;
where applicable, the impact report review referred to in Article 12(3) of this Regulation.
By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, point (d), where a post-issuance review of a European Green Bond allocation report takes place, that allocation report shall be published without undue delay after the post-issuance review is obtained.
The information contained in the documents referred to in paragraph 1, first subparagraph, points (a), (d) and (f), shall be provided, at the choice of the issuer, either in a language customary in the sphere of international finance, or:
where the European Green Bonds are offered to the public or are admitted to trading in only one Member State, in a language accepted by the competent authority of that Member State;
where the European Green Bonds are offered to the public or are admitted to trading in two or more Member States, in a language accepted by the competent authority of each of those Member States.
Article 15a
Accessibility of information on the European single access point
From 10 January 2030, when making public any of the following:
the factsheet, the pre-issuance review related to the factsheet, annual allocation reports, the post-issuance review related to one or several annual allocation reports, the impact report, the impact report review referred to in Article 15;
the pre-issuance disclosures referred to in Article 20, and the periodic post-issuance disclosures referred to in Article 21;
the issuer shall submit that information at the same time to the relevant collection body referred to in paragraph 3 or 4 of this Article for the purpose of making it accessible on the European single access point (ESAP) established under Regulation (EU) 2023/2859 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 2 ).
That information shall comply with the following requirements:
be submitted in a data extractable format as defined in Article 2, point (3), of Regulation (EU) 2023/2859 or, where required by Union law, in a machine-readable format, as defined in Article 2, point (4), of Regulation (EU) 2023/2859;
be accompanied by the following metadata:
all the names of the issuer to which the information relates;
the legal entity identifier of the issuer, as specified pursuant to Article 7(4), point (b), of Regulation (EU) 2023/2859;
the size of the issuer by category, as specified pursuant to Article 7(4), point (d), of that Regulation;
the type of information, as classified pursuant to Article 7(4), point (c), of that Regulation;
an indication of whether the information contains personal data.
For the purpose of ensuring the efficient collection and management of information submitted in accordance with paragraph 1, ESMA shall develop draft implementing technical standards to specify:
any other metadata to accompany the information;
the structuring of data in the information;
for which information a machine-readable format is required and, in such cases, which machine-readable format is to be used.
For the purposes of point (c), ESMA shall assess the advantages and disadvantages of different machine-readable formats and conduct appropriate field tests.
ESMA shall submit those draft implementing technical standards to the Commission.
Power is conferred on the Commission to adopt the implementing technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
CHAPTER 3
Conditions for the use of the designation ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’ in respect of securitisation bonds
Article 16
Application of the designation ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’ to securitisation bonds
In the case of a securitisation bond designated as ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’:
references in this Regulation to ‘issuer’ shall be construed as references to ‘originator’;
references in Article 4 to ‘proceeds’ shall be construed as references to the proceeds obtained by the originator from selling the securitised exposures to the SSPE.
Where the securitised exposures are created by multiple originators, the following shall apply:
the requirements for the use of proceeds set out in Articles 4 to 8 shall be fulfilled by each originator on a pro rata basis, with reference to its share in the pool of the securitised exposures;
the requirements set out in Articles 10, 11, 12, 15, 18 and 19 shall be fulfilled by the originators jointly, clearly indicating the extent to which each originator has complied with its respective requirements;
the requirements to obtain an external review set out in Articles 10 and 11 shall be fulfilled by the originators jointly;
where multiple originators decide to seek an impact report review referred to in Article 12(3), they shall jointly comply with the requirements thereof.
Article 17
Exclusion of bonds issued for the purpose of synthetic securitisation
Bonds issued for the purpose of synthetic securitisation shall not be eligible to use the designation ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’.
Article 18
Exclusions of certain securitised exposures
Article 19
Additional disclosure requirements in the case of securitisation
In order to provide transparency about the environmental characteristics of the securitised exposures, information about the following shall be included in the prospectus on a best efforts basis and to the best of the originator’s ability, on the basis of the available data:
the share of securitised exposures in the pool of securitised exposures, that finance economic activities which are taxonomy-eligible economic activities as defined in Article 1, point (5), of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2178;
per relevant economic activity listed in delegated acts adopted pursuant to Article 10(3), 11(3), 12(2), 13(2), 14(2) or 15(2) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, in the pool of taxonomy-eligible exposures referred to in point (a) of this paragraph, the share of taxonomy-aligned securitised exposures;
per relevant economic activity listed in delegated acts adopted pursuant to Article 10(3), 11(3), 12(2), 13(2), 14(2) or 15(2) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, in the pool of taxonomy-eligible exposures referred to in point (a) of this paragraph, the share of securitised exposures that fail to meet the ‘do no significant harm’ objectives as referred to in Article 3, point (b), of Regulation (EU) 2020/852.
TITLE III
OPTIONAL DISCLOSURE TEMPLATES FOR BONDS MARKETED AS ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE AND FOR SUSTAINABILITY-LINKED BONDS
Article 20
Pre-issuance disclosures for issuers of bonds marketed as environmentally sustainable or of sustainability-linked bonds
For issuers of bonds marketed as environmentally sustainable, the templates referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall include, in addition to the indication referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article, at least the following elements, which shall reflect the issuer’s intent based on available data at the time of the bond issuance:
where the issuer is subject to the obligation to publish plans pursuant to Article 19a(2), point (a)(iii), or Article 29a(2), point (a)(iii), of Directive 2013/34/EU, or where the issuer voluntarily published such plans, the manner in which bond proceeds are intended to contribute to the implementation of those plans;
where the issuer is subject to the obligation to disclose information pursuant to Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, the manner in which bond proceeds are expected to contribute to the issuer’s taxonomy-aligned turnover, capital expenditure and operating expenditure;
the minimum proportion of bond proceeds to be used for activities that are environmentally sustainable under Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852.
For issuers of sustainability-linked bonds, the templates referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article shall include, in addition to the indication referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article, at least the following elements, which shall reflect the issuer’s intent based on available data at the time of the bond issuance:
the rationale, level of ambition, materiality and calculation methodology of the key performance indicators set by the issuer;
where the issuer is subject to an obligation to publish plans pursuant to Article 19a(2), point (a)(iii), or Article 29a(2), point (a)(iii), of Directive 2013/34/EU, or where the issuer voluntarily published such plans, the manner in which the bond proceeds are intended to contribute to the implementation of those plans;
where relevant, the manner in which the bond is linked to the issuer’s taxonomy-aligned turnover, capital expenditure and operating expenditure by applying Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2178;
a description of the bond structure, including the coupon adjustment mechanism.
Article 21
Periodic post-issuance disclosures for issuers of bonds marketed as environmentally sustainable or of sustainability-linked bonds
Where an issuer makes periodic disclosures of post-issuance information in accordance with the first subparagraph of this paragraph, Article 44 shall apply until the maturity of the bond.
For an issuer of bonds marketed as environmentally sustainable, the templates referred to in paragraph 1 shall include at least the following elements:
where the issuer is subject to an obligation to publish plans pursuant to Article 19a(2), point (a)(iii), or, Article 29a(2), point (a)(iii), of Directive 2013/34/EU, or where the issuer voluntarily published such plans, the manner in which the bond proceeds contribute to the implementation of those plans;
where the issuer is subject to the obligation to disclose information pursuant to Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, the manner in which the bond proceeds contribute to the issuer’s taxonomy-aligned turnover, capital expenditure and operating expenditure;
the minimum proportion of bond proceeds that are used for activities that are environmentally sustainable under Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852.
For an issuer of sustainability-linked bonds, the templates referred to in paragraph 1 shall include at least the following elements:
the rationale, level of ambition, materiality, and calculation methodology of the key performance indicators set by the issuer;
where the issuer is subject to an obligation to publish plans pursuant to Article 19a(2), point (a)(iii), or Article 29a(2), point (a)(iii), of Directive 2013/34/EU, or where the issuer voluntarily published such plans, the manner in which the bond proceeds are intended to contribute to the implementation of those plans;
where relevant, the manner in which the bond proceeds are linked to the issuer’s taxonomy-aligned turnover, capital expenditure and operating expenditure by applying Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2178;
a description of the bond structure, including the coupon adjustment mechanism.
When drafting that delegated act, the Commission shall take into account the information on environmental, social and governance aspects that is required to be disclosed under other relevant legislative acts, including Regulation (EU) 2017/1129, in order to avoid overlapping disclosures for issuers.
When drafting that delegated act, the Commission shall also consider the information needs of financial market participants subject to the disclosure requirements of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088.
TITLE IV
EXTERNAL REVIEWERS FOR EUROPEAN GREEN BONDS
CHAPTER 1
Conditions for the external review of European Green Bonds
Article 22
Registration
Article 23
Application for registration as an external reviewer for European Green Bonds
An application for registration as an external reviewer for European Green Bonds shall contain the following information:
the full name of the applicant, the address of its registered office within the Union, the applicant’s website and, where available, the legal entity identifier (LEI);
the name and contact details of a contact person;
the legal form of the applicant;
the ownership structure of the applicant;
the identities of the members of the senior management and the board of the applicant with their curriculum vitae showing at least their levels of qualification, experience and training;
the number of the analysts, employees and other persons directly involved in assessment activities, and their level of knowledge, experience and training gained prior to and while working for the applicant in the provision of external review or similar services;
a description of the procedures and methodologies implemented by the applicant to issue reviews;
the corporate governance arrangements and the policies or procedures implemented by the applicant to identify, eliminate or manage, and disclose in a transparent manner, any actual or potential conflicts of interest as referred to in Article 35;
where applicable, documents and information related to any existing or planned outsourcing arrangements for activities of the external reviewer covered by this Regulation, including information on entities assuming outsourcing functions;
where applicable, information about other activities carried out by the applicant.
ESMA shall register an applicant as an external reviewer only where the following conditions are met:
the senior management and the members of the board of the applicant:
are of sufficiently good repute;
are sufficiently skilled to ensure that the applicant can perform the tasks required of external reviewers pursuant to this Regulation;
have sufficient professional qualifications;
have relevant experience in activities such as quality assurance, quality control, the performance of pre-issuance, post-issuance and impact report reviews, the provision of second party alignment opinions or financial services;
the number of analysts, employees and other persons directly involved in the assessment activities of the applicant, and their level of knowledge, experience and training, are sufficient in order for the applicant to perform the tasks required of external reviewers pursuant to this Regulation;
the applicant’s internal arrangements implemented to ensure compliance with Chapter 2 of this Title are appropriate and effective.
When assessing the conditions set out in the first subparagraph of this paragraph, ESMA may take into account whether the applicant, where it has provided services pursuant to Articles 69 and 70, used best efforts to comply with Articles 24 to 38. For that purpose, ESMA may require the applicant to provide it with the necessary information.
Where the application is not complete, ESMA shall notify the applicant thereof and shall set a deadline by which the applicant is to provide additional information.
Where the application is complete, ESMA shall notify the applicant thereof.
ESMA may extend the period referred to in the first subparagraph by 15 working days where the applicant intends to outsource certain external review activities.
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 21 December 2024.
Power is delegated to the Commission to supplement this Regulation by adopting the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
When developing the draft implementing technical standards, ESMA shall take into account digital means of registration.
ESMA shall submit those draft implementing technical standards to the Commission by 21 December 2024.
Power is conferred on the Commission to adopt the implementing technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Article 24
Material changes relevant for the registration
Where ESMA objects to such material changes, it shall inform the external reviewer within 45 working days of the notification of those changes and shall state the reasons for its objection. The changes referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph shall not be implemented if ESMA objects within that period.
When developing the draft implementing technical standards ESMA shall take into account digital means of registration.
ESMA shall submit those draft implementing technical standards to the Commission by 21 December 2025.
Power is conferred on the Commission to adopt the implementing technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Article 25
Language regime
An applicant shall submit the application for registration referred to in Article 23 in one of the official languages of the institutions of the Union. Regulation No 1 of 15 April 1958 ( 3 ) shall apply mutatis mutandis to any other communication between ESMA and the applicant and its staff.
CHAPTER 2
Organisational requirements, processes and documents concerning governance
Article 26
General principles
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 21 December 2025.
Power is delegated to the Commission to supplement this Regulation by adopting the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Article 27
Senior management and members of the board
The senior management and the members of the board of the external reviewer shall, respectively, ensure or oversee the following:
the sound and prudent management of the external reviewer;
the independence of assessment activities;
that any actual or potential conflicts of interest are properly identified, eliminated or managed, and disclosed in a transparent manner;
that the external reviewer complies with this Regulation at all times.
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 21 December 2024.
Power is delegated to the Commission to supplement this Regulation by adopting the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Article 28
Analysts and employees of external reviewers, and other persons directly involved in the assessment activities of external reviewers
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 21 December 2024.
Power is delegated to the Commission to supplement this Regulation by adopting the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Article 29
Compliance function
External reviewers shall ensure that the compliance function complies with the following:
it has the authority to discharge its responsibilities properly and independently;
it has the necessary resources and expertise and access to all relevant information;
it does not monitor or assess its own activities;
it is not compensated in relation to the business performance of the external reviewer.
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 21 December 2025.
Power is delegated to the Commission to supplement this Regulation by adopting the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Article 30
Internal policies and procedures
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 21 December 2025.
Power is delegated to the Commission to supplement this Regulation by adopting the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Article 31
Assessment methodologies and information used for reviews
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 21 December 2025.
Power is delegated to the Commission to supplement this Regulation by adopting the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Article 32
Errors in assessment methodologies or in their application
Article 33
Outsourcing
External reviewers shall remain responsible for any outsourced activity and shall adopt measures to ensure the following:
assessments of whether third-party service providers carry out outsourced assessment activities effectively and in compliance with applicable Union and national laws and regulatory requirements and adequately address identified failures;
identification of any potential risks in relation to outsourced assessment activities;
adequate periodic monitoring of the outsourced assessment activities;
adequate control procedures with respect to outsourced assessment activities, including effective supervision of the outsourced assessment activities and of any potential risks in relation to the third-party service provider;
adequate business continuity of outsourced assessment activities.
For the purposes of the first subparagraph, point (e), external reviewers shall obtain information about the business continuity arrangements of third-party service providers, assess their quality and request improvements to such arrangements where necessary.
ESMA shall develop draft regulatory technical standards specifying the criteria for:
assessing the ability and the capacity of third-party service providers to perform the assessment activities reliably and professionally; and
ensuring that the performance of assessment activities does not materially impair the quality of the external reviewers’ internal control or ESMA’s ability to supervise the external reviewers’ compliance with this Regulation.
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 21 December 2024.
Power is delegated to the Commission to supplement this Regulation by adopting the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Article 34
Record-keeping requirements
External reviewers shall keep adequate records of the following:
the identity of the persons participating in the determination and approval of the reviews, and the date on which the decisions to approve the reviews were taken;
the documentation for the established procedures and methodologies used by the external reviewers to carry out and draw up the reviews;
the internal documents, including non-public information and work papers, used to form the basis of any published review;
records of the procedures and measures implemented by the external reviewers to comply with this Regulation;
copies of internal and external communications that relate to assessment activities, including electronic communications, received and sent by the external reviewer and its employees;
the documentation containing pre-contractual assessments as referred to in Article 35(2).
Article 35
Conflicts of interest and confidentiality of information
External reviewers shall identify, eliminate or manage, and disclose in a transparent manner in their reviews, any actual or potential conflicts of interest that concern any of the following:
their analysts or employees;
shareholders holding at least 10 % of the capital or the voting rights of the external reviewers or in a company which has the power to exercise control or a dominant influence over the external reviewers;
any person that is contractually related to the external reviewers and that is directly involved in assessment activities;
any person approving the reviews.
The external reviewer shall not issue a review where it identifies an actual conflict of interest and the external reviewer is not able to implement measures to eliminate or manage that conflict of interest.
External reviewers shall ensure that their analysts and employees or any other natural person contractually related to the external reviewers and directly involved in assessment activities comply with the following:
take all reasonable measures to protect property and records in the possession of the external reviewer from fraud, theft or misuse, taking into account the nature, scale and complexity of their business and the nature and range of their assessment activities;
do not disclose any information about reviews, and possible future reviews, to any parties other than the issuers that have requested the assessment by the external reviewer;
do not use or share confidential information for any other purpose than assessment activities.
Article 36
Provision of other services
External reviewers that provide services other than assessment activities shall ensure that those other services do not create conflicts of interest with their assessment activities concerning European Green Bonds. Such external reviewers shall disclose in their reviews any other services provided for the assessed entity or any related third party.
CHAPTER 3
Reviews
Article 37
References to ESMA or other competent authorities
In their reviews, external reviewers shall not refer to ESMA or any competent authority in a way that could indicate or suggest that ESMA or any competent authority endorses or approves that review or any assessment activities of the external reviewer.
Article 38
Publication of reviews
External reviewers shall publish and make available on their websites, free of charge, the following:
within a reasonable time before the issuance of the bond concerned, the pre-issuance reviews that they have issued;
without delay following the completion of the assessment of the allocation reports by the external reviewer, the post-issuance reviews that they have issued;
without delay following the assessment of the impact reports by the external reviewer, the impact report reviews that they have issued.
CHAPTER 4
Provision of services by third-country external reviewers
Article 39
General provisions
ESMA shall register a third-country external reviewer that has applied for the provision of external reviewer services in accordance with this Regulation throughout the Union in accordance with paragraph 1 (the ‘applicant third-country external reviewer’) only where the following conditions are met:
the Commission has adopted a decision pursuant to Article 40(1);
the applicant third-country external reviewer is registered or authorised to provide the external review services to be provided in the Union and is subject to effective supervision and enforcement ensuring full compliance with the requirements applicable in that third country;
cooperation arrangements have been established pursuant to Article 40(3).
Where the application is not complete, ESMA shall notify the applicant third-country external reviewer thereof and shall set a deadline by which the applicant third-country external reviewer is to provide additional information.
Where the application is complete, ESMA shall notify the applicant third-country external reviewer thereof.
ESMA may extend the period referred to in the first subparagraph by 15 working days where the applicant third-country external reviewer intends to outsource certain external review activities.
Article 40
Equivalence decision
The Commission may adopt a decision in relation to a third country stating that the legal and supervisory frameworks of that third country ensure the following:
that external reviewers registered or authorised in that third country comply with legally binding organisational and business conduct requirements which have equivalent effect to the requirements laid down in this Regulation and in the implementing measures adopted pursuant to this Regulation;
that the legal framework of that third country provides for an effective equivalent system for the recognition of external reviewers registered or authorised under the law of that third country.
The Commission may consider the organisational and business conduct framework of a third country to have equivalent effect to the requirements of this Regulation where, within that framework, entities providing external review services are subject to the following:
registration or authorisation and effective supervision and enforcement on an ongoing basis;
adequate organisational requirements in the area of internal control functions;
appropriate conduct of business rules.
ESMA shall establish cooperation arrangements with the relevant competent authorities of third countries whose legal and supervisory frameworks have been recognised as effectively equivalent in accordance with paragraph 1. Such arrangements shall specify the following:
the mechanism for the exchange of information between ESMA and the competent authorities of the third countries concerned, including access to all information regarding the third-country external reviewers registered or authorised in third countries that is requested by ESMA;
the mechanism for prompt notification to ESMA where a third-country competent authority deems that a third-country external reviewer that it is supervising and ESMA has registered in the register referred to in Article 67 infringes the conditions of its registration or authorisation or the applicable law;
the procedures concerning the coordination of supervisory activities including, where appropriate, on-site inspections.
Article 41
Withdrawal of registration of third-country external reviewer
ESMA shall withdraw the registration of a third-country external reviewer by removing that external reviewer from the register referred to in Article 67 where it has well-founded reasons, based on documentary evidence, to believe that, in the provision of the services under this Regulation in the Union the third-country external reviewer:
acts in a manner which is clearly prejudicial to the interests of investors or the orderly functioning of markets; or
has seriously infringed the laws and regulations, applicable to it in the third- country concerned and on the basis of which the Commission has adopted a decision pursuant to Article 40(1).
ESMA shall take a decision pursuant to paragraph 1 after:
referring the matter to the supervisory authority of the third country concerned and that supervisory authority has not taken the measures necessary to protect investors and the orderly functioning of the markets in the Union or has failed to demonstrate that the third-country external reviewer concerned complies with the requirements applicable to it in that third-country; and
informing the supervisory authority of the third country concerned of its intention to withdraw the registration of the third-country external reviewer at least 30 days before the withdrawal.
Article 42
Recognition of a third-country external reviewer
A third-country external reviewer seeking recognition shall have a legal representative established in the Union. That legal representative shall:
be responsible, together with the third-country external reviewer seeking recognition, for ensuring that the provision of services under this Regulation by the third-country external reviewer seeking recognition fulfils the requirements referred to in paragraph 2 and shall in that respect be accountable to ESMA for the conduct of the third-country external reviewer seeking recognition in the Union;
act on behalf of the third-country external reviewer seeking recognition as the main point of contact with ESMA and any other person in the Union with regard to the external reviewer’s obligations under this Regulation; and
have sufficient knowledge, expertise and resources to fulfil its obligations under this paragraph.
Where the application is not complete, ESMA shall notify the third-country external reviewer seeking recognition thereof and shall set a deadline by which the third-country external reviewer seeking recognition is to provide additional information.
Where the application is complete, ESMA shall notify the third-country external reviewer seeking recognition thereof.
ESMA may extend the period referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph by 15 working days where the third-country external reviewer seeking recognition intends to outsource certain external review activities.
ESMA shall submit those draft regulatory technical standards to the Commission by 21 December 2025.
Power is delegated to the Commission to supplement this Regulation by adopting the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Article 43
Endorsement of services under this Regulation provided in a third country
An external reviewer established in the Union registered in accordance with Article 23 may apply to ESMA for an authorisation of an endorsement of the services provided by a third-country external reviewer on an ongoing basis in the Union, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled:
the external reviewer has verified and is able to demonstrate to ESMA on an ongoing basis that the provision of services under this Regulation by the third-country external reviewer fulfils requirements which are at least as stringent as the requirements laid down in this Regulation;
the external reviewer has the necessary expertise to monitor effectively the activity of the provision of services under this Regulation by the third-country external reviewer and to manage the associated risks;
the services of the third-country external reviewer are used for any of the following objective reasons:
the specificities of the underlying markets or investments;
the proximity of the third-country external reviewer to third-country markets, issuers or investors;
the expertise of the third-country external reviewer in providing the services of external review or in specific markets or investments.
Where the application is not complete, ESMA shall notify the endorsing external reviewer accordingly and shall set a deadline by which the endorsing external reviewer is to provide additional information.
Where the application is complete, ESMA shall notify the endorsing external reviewer accordingly.
Within 45 working days of receipt of the complete application, ESMA shall examine the application and adopt a decision to authorise or refuse the endorsement. ESMA shall notify the endorsing external reviewer of its decision. The decision shall provide reasons and shall take effect on the fifth working day after its adoption.
TITLE V
SUPERVISION BY COMPETENT AUTHORITIES AND ESMA
CHAPTER 1
Competent authorities
Article 44
Supervision by competent authorities
The competent authority of the home Member State designated pursuant to Article 31 of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 shall supervise the following:
issuers of European Green Bonds as regards compliance with their obligations under Title II, Chapter 2, and Articles 18 and 19;
issuers that use the common templates provided for in Article 21 as regards compliance with those templates.
Article 45
Powers of competent authorities
In order to fulfil their duties under this Regulation, competent authorities shall have, in accordance with national law, at least the following supervisory and investigatory powers:
to require issuers to publish the European Green Bond factsheets referred to in Article 10 or to include in those factsheets the information referred to in Annex I;
to require issuers to publish reviews and assessments;
to require issuers to publish annual allocation reports or include in annual allocation reports the information referred to in Annex II;
to require issuers to publish an impact report or include in the impact report the information referred to in Annex III;
to require issuers to notify the competent authority of the publication in accordance with Article 15(4);
where issuers use the common templates provided for in Article 21, to require those issuers to include the elements referred to therein in their periodic post-issuance disclosures;
to require auditors and the senior management of the issuer to provide relevant information and documents;
to suspend an offer or admission to trading on a regulated market of European Green Bonds for a maximum of 10 consecutive working days on any single occasion where there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the issuer has failed to comply with an obligation pursuant to Title II, Chapter 2, or Article 18 or 19;
to prohibit an offer or admission to trading on a regulated market of European Green Bonds where there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the issuer continues to fail to comply with an obligation pursuant to Title II, Chapter 2, or Article 18 or 19;
to suspend advertisements for a maximum of 10 consecutive working days, or require issuers of European Green Bonds or financial intermediaries concerned to suspend advertisements for a maximum of 10 consecutive working days on any single occasion where there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the issuer has failed to comply with an obligation pursuant to Title II, Chapter 2, or Article 18 or 19;
to prohibit advertisements, or require issuers of European Green Bonds or financial intermediaries concerned to cease advertisements where there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the issuer continues to fail to comply with an obligation pursuant to Title II, Chapter 2, or Article 18 or 19;
to make public the fact that an issuer of European Green Bonds fails to comply with this Regulation, and to require that issuer to publish that information on its website;
to prohibit an issuer from issuing European Green Bonds for a period not exceeding one year in the event that an issuer has repeatedly and severely infringed Title II, Chapter 2, or Article 18 or 19;
following a three-month period after the requirement referred to in point (l) of this subparagraph, to make public the fact that the issuer of European Green Bonds no longer complies with Article 3 as regards the use of the designation ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’, and to require that issuer to publish that information on its website;
to carry out on-site inspections or investigations at sites other than the private residences of natural persons, and for that purpose to enter premises in order to access documents and other data in any form, where a reasonable suspicion exists that documents and other data related to the subject matter of the inspection or investigation may be relevant to prove an infringement of this Regulation.
Where necessary under national law, the competent authorities may ask the relevant judicial authority to decide on the use of the powers referred to in the first subparagraph.
Competent authorities shall exercise their functions and powers referred to in paragraph 1 in any of the following ways:
directly;
in collaboration with other authorities;
under their responsibility by delegation to the authorities referred to in point (b);
by application to the competent judicial authorities.
Article 46
Cooperation between competent authorities
Member States that have chosen, in accordance with Article 49(5), to lay down criminal penalties for infringements of this Regulation shall ensure that appropriate measures are in place so that competent authorities have all the necessary powers to liaise with judicial authorities within their jurisdiction to receive specific information related to criminal investigations or legal proceedings initiated for alleged infringements of this Regulation and provide the same to other competent authorities to fulfil their obligation to cooperate with each other for the purposes of this Regulation.
A competent authority may refuse to act on a request for information or a request to cooperate with an investigation only in any of the following exceptional circumstances:
where complying with the request is likely to adversely affect its own investigation, enforcement activities or a criminal investigation;
where legal proceedings have already been initiated in respect of the same actions and against the same persons before the relevant authorities of that competent authority’s Member State;
where a final judgment has already been delivered in respect of the persons referred to in point (b), for the same actions in that competent authority’s Member State.
Where a competent authority receives a request from a competent authority of another Member State to carry out an on-site inspection or an investigation, it may do any of the following:
carry out the on-site inspection or investigation itself;
allow the competent authority which submitted the request to participate in an on-site inspection or investigation;
allow the competent authority which submitted the request to carry out the on-site inspection or investigation itself;
appoint auditors or experts to carry out the on-site inspection or investigation;
share specific tasks related to supervisory activities with the other competent authorities.
Power is delegated to the Commission to adopt the regulatory technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Articles 10 to 14 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Power is conferred on the Commission to adopt the implementing technical standards referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph in accordance with Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Article 47
Professional secrecy
Article 48
Precautionary measures
Article 49
Administrative penalties and other administrative measures
Without prejudice to the supervisory and investigatory powers of competent authorities pursuant to Article 45, and the right of Member States to provide for and impose criminal penalties, Member States shall, in accordance with national law, provide for competent authorities to have the power to impose administrative penalties and take other appropriate administrative measures which shall be effective, proportionate and dissuasive. Those administrative penalties and other administrative measures shall apply to:
infringements by issuers of their obligations under Title II, Chapter 2, or Article 18, 19 or 21;
failure to cooperate or comply with an investigation, with an inspection or with a requirement under Article 45(1).
Member States shall, in accordance with national law, ensure that competent authorities have the power to impose the following administrative penalties and other administrative measures in relation to the infringements referred to in paragraph 1, point (a):
a public statement indicating the natural or legal person responsible and the nature of the infringement in accordance with Article 45(1), point (l);
an order requiring the natural or legal person responsible to cease the conduct constituting the infringement;
an order prohibiting the natural or legal person responsible from issuing European Green Bonds for a period not exceeding one year;
maximum administrative fines of at least twice the amount of the profits gained or losses avoided because of the infringement where those can be determined;
in the case of a legal person, maximum administrative fines of at least EUR 500 000 , or, in the Member States whose currency is not the euro, the corresponding value in the national currency on 20 December 2023, or 0,5 % of the total annual turnover of that legal person according to the most recent available financial statements approved by the management body;
in the case of a natural person, maximum administrative fines of at least EUR 50 000 , or, in the Member States whose currency is not the euro, the corresponding value in the national currency on 20 December 2023.
For the purposes of the first subparagraph, point (e), where the legal person is a parent undertaking or a subsidiary of a parent undertaking which is required to prepare consolidated financial statements in accordance with Directive 2013/34/EU, the relevant total annual turnover shall be the total annual turnover or the corresponding type of income in accordance with the applicable Union law in the field of accounting according to the most recent available consolidated accounts approved by the management body of the ultimate parent undertaking.
Article 50
Exercise of supervisory powers and powers to impose penalties
When determining the type and level of administrative penalties and other administrative measures, the competent authorities shall take into account all relevant circumstances including, where appropriate:
the gravity and the duration of the infringement;
the degree of responsibility of the person responsible for the infringement;
the financial strength of the person responsible for the infringement, as indicated by the total turnover of the responsible legal person or the annual income and net assets of the responsible natural person;
the impact of the infringement on the interests of investors;
the importance of the profits gained or losses avoided by the person responsible for the infringement or the losses for third parties caused by the infringement, to the extent that they can be determined;
the level of cooperation of the person responsible for the infringement with the competent authority, without prejudice to the need to ensure disgorgement of profits gained or losses avoided by that person;
previous infringements of this Regulation by the person responsible for the infringement;
any measures taken after the infringement by the person responsible for the infringement to prevent its repetition.
Article 51
Right of appeal
Member States shall ensure that decisions taken under this Regulation are properly reasoned and subject to a right of appeal before a court.
Article 52
Publication of decisions
Where the publication of the identity of the legal persons, or of the identity or personal data of natural persons, is considered by the competent authority to be disproportionate following a case-by-case assessment conducted on the proportionality of the publication of such data, or where such publication would jeopardise the stability of financial markets or an ongoing investigation, competent authorities shall do one of the following:
defer the publication of the decision to impose an administrative penalty or other administrative measure until the moment where the reasons for non-publication cease to exist;
publish the decision to impose an administrative penalty or other administrative measure on an anonymous basis in a manner which is in conformity with national law, where such anonymous publication ensures the effective protection of the personal data concerned;
not publish the decision to impose an administrative penalty or other administrative measure in the event that the options provided for in points (a) and (b) are considered insufficient to ensure:
that the stability of financial markets would not be put in jeopardy; or
the proportionality of the publication of such a decision with regard to measures which are deemed to be of a minor nature.
In the case of a decision to publish an administrative penalty or other administrative measure on an anonymous basis, as referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph, the publication of the relevant data may be deferred for a reasonable period where it is expected that within that period the reasons for anonymous publication will cease to exist.
Article 53
Reporting of administrative penalties and other administrative measures to ESMA
CHAPTER 2
ESMA
Article 54
Requests for information
ESMA may, by simple request or by a decision, require the following persons to provide all information that is necessary to carry out its duties under this Regulation:
persons who effectively conduct the business of the external reviewer;
members of the supervisory, management or administrative bodies of the external reviewer;
members of the senior management of the external reviewer;
any person directly involved in assessment activities of the external reviewer;
legal representatives and employees of entities to which an external reviewer has outsourced certain functions in accordance with Article 33;
persons otherwise closely and substantially related or connected to the process of managing the external reviewer, including shareholders holding at least 10 % of the capital or the voting rights of the external reviewer or in a company which has the power to exercise control or a dominant influence over the external reviewer;
anyone who acts as, or purports to be, an external reviewer, without being registered as such, and any person that performs any of the functions referred to in points (a) to (f) on behalf of such a person.
When sending a simple request for information under paragraph 1, ESMA shall:
refer to this Article as the legal basis of that request;
state the purpose of the request;
specify what information is required;
set a time limit within which the information is to be provided;
inform the person from whom the information is requested that there is no obligation to provide the information but that, in the case of a voluntary reply to the request, the information provided is required to be correct and not misleading; and
indicate the potential fine provided for in Article 60 where the answers to the questions asked are incorrect or misleading.
When requiring the provision of information by decision under paragraph 1, ESMA shall:
refer to this Article as the legal basis of that request;
state the purpose of the request;
specify what information is required;
set a time limit within which the information is to be provided;
indicate the periodic penalty payments provided for in Article 61 where the production of the required information is incomplete;
indicate the fine provided for in Article 60 where the answers to questions asked are incorrect or misleading;
indicate the right to appeal the decision before the Board of Appeal in accordance with Articles 58 and 59 of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010 and to have the decision reviewed by the Court of Justice of the European Union (the ‘Court of Justice’) in accordance with Articles 60 and 61 of that Regulation.
Article 55
General investigations
In order to carry out its duties under this Regulation, ESMA may conduct necessary investigations of persons referred to in Article 54(1). To that end, the officials and other persons authorised by ESMA shall be empowered to:
examine any records, data, procedures and any other material relevant to the execution of its tasks irrespective of the medium on which they are stored;
take or obtain certified copies of or extracts from such records, data, procedures and other material;
summon and ask any person referred to in Article 54(1) or their representatives or staff for oral or written explanations on facts or documents relating to the subject matter and purpose of the inspection and to record the answers;
interview any other natural or legal person who consents to be interviewed for the purposes of collecting information relating to the subject matter of an investigation;
request records of telephone and data traffic.
Article 56
On-site inspections
Article 57
Exercise of the powers referred to in Articles 54, 55 and 56
The powers conferred on ESMA, any of its officials or any other person authorised by ESMA pursuant to Article 54, 55 or 56 shall not be used to require the disclosure of information or documents that are subject to legal privilege.
Article 58
Exchange of information
Article 59
Supervisory measures by ESMA
Where, in accordance with Article 63(8), ESMA finds that a person has committed an infringement listed in Article 60(1), it shall adopt a decision to take one or more of the following actions:
withdraw the registration of an external reviewer;
withdraw the recognition of a third-country external reviewer;
temporarily prohibit the external reviewer from pursuing the activities under this Regulation throughout the Union, until the infringement has been brought to an end;
suspend the registration of a third-country external reviewer;
require the person to bring the infringement to an end;
impose fines pursuant to Article 60;
impose periodic penalty payments pursuant to Article 61;
issue a public notice.
ESMA shall withdraw the registration or the recognition of an external reviewer in any of the following circumstances:
the external reviewer has expressly renounced the registration or recognition or has not made use of the registration or recognition within 36 months of the registration or recognition being granted;
the external reviewer has obtained the registration or recognition by making false statements or by any other irregular means;
the external reviewer no longer meets the conditions under which it was registered or recognised.
Where ESMA withdraws the registration or recognition of the external reviewer, it shall provide full reasons in its decision.
The withdrawal shall have immediate effect.
For the purposes of paragraph 1, ESMA shall take into account the nature and seriousness of the infringement, having regard to the following criteria:
the duration and frequency of the infringement;
whether financial crime has been occasioned, facilitated or otherwise attributable to the infringement;
whether the infringement has been committed by intent or negligence;
the degree of responsibility of the person responsible for the infringement;
the financial strength of the person responsible for the infringement, as indicated by the total turnover of the responsible legal person or the annual income and net assets of the responsible natural person;
the impact of the infringement on the interests of investors;
the importance of the profits gained or losses avoided by the person responsible for the infringement or the losses for third parties caused by the infringement, to the extent that they can be determined;
the level of cooperation with ESMA of the person responsible for the infringement, without prejudice to the need to ensure disgorgement of profits gained or losses avoided by that person;
previous infringements of this Regulation by the person responsible for the infringement;
any measures taken after the infringement by the person responsible for the infringement to prevent its repetition.
The disclosure to the public referred to in the first subparagraph shall include the following:
a statement affirming the right of the person responsible for the infringement to appeal the decision;
where relevant, a statement affirming that an appeal has been lodged and specifying that such an appeal does not have suspensive effect;
a statement asserting that it is possible for ESMA’s Board of Appeal to suspend the application of the decision in accordance with Article 60(3) of Regulation (EU) No 1095/2010.
Article 60
Fines
ESMA shall adopt a decision imposing a fine in accordance with paragraph 2 of this Article where, in accordance with Article 63(8), it finds that an external reviewer or any of the persons referred to in Article 54(1) has, by intent or negligence, committed one or more of the following infringements:
non-compliance with Article 24(1) or any provision of Title IV, Chapters 2 and 3;
the submission of false statements when applying for registration as an external reviewer, or the use of any other irregular means to obtain such registration;
failure to provide information in response to a decision requiring information pursuant to Article 54 or the provision of incorrect or misleading information in response to a request for information or a decision;
the obstruction of, or non-compliance with, an investigation pursuant to Article 55(1), point (a), (b), (c) or (e);
non-compliance with Article 56, by not providing an explanation on facts or documents related to the subject matter and purpose of an inspection, or by providing an incorrect or misleading explanation;
taking up the activity of external reviewers or purporting to be an external reviewer, without having been registered as an external reviewer.
An infringement shall be considered to have been committed intentionally if ESMA finds objective factors which demonstrate that a person acted deliberately to commit the infringement.
When determining the level of a fine pursuant to paragraph 1 of this Article, ESMA shall take into account the criteria set out in Article 59(3).
Article 61
Periodic penalty payments
ESMA shall, by decision, impose a periodic penalty payment in order to compel:
a person to put an end to an infringement, in accordance with a decision taken pursuant to Article 59(1), point (e);
a person as referred to in Article 54(1):
to provide complete information which has been required by a decision pursuant to Article 54;
to submit to an investigation and in particular to produce complete records, data, procedures or any other material required and to complete and correct other information provided in an investigation launched by a decision pursuant to Article 55; or
to submit to an on-site inspection ordered by a decision taken pursuant to Article 56.
Article 62
Disclosure, nature, enforcement and allocation of fines and periodic penalty payments
For the purposes of enforcement of fines and periodic penalty payments, ESMA shall apply the rules of civil procedure in force in the Member State or third country in which the fine or periodic penalty payment is enforced.
Article 63
Procedural rules for taking supervisory measures and imposing fines
Article 64
Hearing of the persons subject to decisions pursuant to Articles 59, 60 and 61
Article 65
Review by the Court of Justice
The Court of Justice shall have unlimited jurisdiction to review decisions whereby ESMA has imposed a fine or a periodic penalty payment pursuant to this Regulation. It may annul, reduce or increase the fine or periodic penalty payment imposed.
Article 66
Registration, recognition and supervisory fees
By way of derogation from the first subparagraph, external reviewers whose annual turnover is below a certain amount may be exempted from the obligation to pay a fee, as further specified in the delegated act to be adopted by the Commission pursuant to paragraph 3.
When drafting the delegated act, the Commission shall specify the threshold of the annual turnover of external reviewers at group level below which no fee is to be charged, and shall also specify the manner in which the annual turnover is to be calculated for the purposes of applying that threshold.
Article 67
ESMA register of external reviewers and third-country external reviewers
ESMA shall maintain on its website a publicly accessible register that lists the following:
external reviewers registered in accordance with Article 23;
external reviewers that are temporarily prohibited from pursuing their activities in accordance with Article 59;
external reviewers whose registration has been withdrawn in accordance with Article 59;
third-country external reviewers allowed to provide services in the Union in accordance with Article 39;
third-country external reviewers recognised in accordance with Article 42;
external reviewers registered in accordance with Article 23 that endorse the services provided by third-country external reviewers in accordance with Article 43;
third-country external reviewers whose registration has been withdrawn and that no longer use the rights under Article 39, where the Commission withdraws its decision under Article 40(1) in relation to that third country;
third-country external reviewers whose recognition has been suspended or withdrawn;
external reviewers registered in accordance with Article 23 that are no longer able to endorse the services provided by third-country external reviewers in accordance with Article 43.
TITLE VI
DELEGATED ACTS
Article 68
Exercise of the delegation
TITLE VII
FINAL PROVISIONS
Article 69
Transitional provisions concerning external reviewers
Article 70
Transitional provisions concerning third-country external reviewers
The third-country external reviewers referred to in paragraph 1 shall:
use best efforts to comply with Articles 24 to 38 with the exception of the requirements laid down in the implementing acts referred to in Article 24(2) and the delegated acts referred to in Articles 26(3), 27(2), 28(3), 29(4), 30(3), 31(4) and 33(7);
have a legal representative established in the Union that shall comply with Article 42(3).
Article 71
Review
By 21 December 2028 and every three years thereafter, the Commission shall, after consulting ESMA and the Platform on Sustainable Finance established by Article 20 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, submit a report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the application of this Regulation. That report shall evaluate, to the extent possible, at least the following:
the uptake of the European Green Bond standard and its market share, both in the Union and globally, in particular by small and medium-sized enterprises;
the impact of this Regulation on the transition to a sustainable economy, on the gap of investments needed to meet the Union climate targets as set out in Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 5 ), and on redirecting private capital flows towards sustainable investments;
the functioning, and the supervision by ESMA, of the market for external reviewers;
the appropriateness, and the impact on external reviewers and on ESMA’s budget, of the delegated acts adopted pursuant to Article 66(3);
the credibility, and any cases of abuse, of environmental claims in the green bond market;
the functioning of the sustainability-linked bond market, including the credibility and quality of relevant claims;
the need to recognise a third country’s criteria for determining environmentally sustainable economic activities as equivalent to the taxonomy requirements, provided that there are specific safeguards in place in order to ensure equivalent objectives, for the purposes of authorising the allocation of the use of proceeds of a European Green Bond in accordance with such third-country criteria;
the practical impact of Article 5 on the use of European Green Bonds, the environmental quality of the use of their proceeds, and the reasons why the flexibility provided for in that Article does not prevent the transition towards the financing of environmentally sustainable activities;
the implementation of Title III of this Regulation, including the use of the templates referred to in that Title by issuers of bonds marketed as environmentally sustainable or of sustainability-linked bonds, whether or not such bonds are marketed in the European Economic Area, an analysis of the uptake of those templates, the evolution of the market and the consistency of those templates with relevant Union law, including Regulation (EU) 2019/2088.
Article 72
Entry into force and application
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
ANNEX I
EUROPEAN GREEN BOND FACTSHEET
This document and its contents are not subject to any approval or endorsement from ESMA or any other competent authority.
1. General information — [Date of publication of the European Green Bond factsheet] — [The legal name of the issuer] — [Where available, the legal entity identifier (LEI) of the issuer] — [Website address providing investors with information on how to contact the issuer] — [Where available, the name of the bond(s) assigned by the issuer] — [Where available, the international securities identification numbers (ISIN) of the bond(s)] — [Where available, the planned issuance date or period] — [The identity and contact details of the external reviewer] — [Where applicable, the name of the competent authority that has approved the bond prospectus(es)] |
2. Important information — [The following statement: “[This bond uses] [These bonds use] the designation ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’ in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).”] — [Where bonds proceeds are intended to be allocated in accordance with Article 5 of that Regulation, the following statement: “[This European Green Bond makes] [These European Green Bonds make] use of the flexibility permitting a partial non-alignment with the technical screening criteria set out in the delegated acts adopted pursuant to Article 10(3), 11(3), 12(2), 13(2), 14(2) or 15(2) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) (‘the technical screening criteria’), as further described in Section 4 of this factsheet.”] |
3. Environmental strategy and rationale [A statement about whether or not the issuer intends to obtain an external review of the information submitted under this Section via a review of the impact report.] Overview — [Information on the manner in which the bond(s) is/are expected to contribute to the broader environmental strategy of the issuer, including the environmental objectives referred to in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 pursued by the bond(s).] Link with the assets, turnover, CapEx, and OpEx key performance indicators — [To the extent available to the issuer at the time of issuance, and where the issuer is subject to Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, a description of how and to what extent (e.g., expressed as an estimated percentage change year-on-year) bond proceeds are expected to contribute to the issuer’s key performance indicators for taxonomy-aligned assets, turnover, capital expenditure and operating expenditure.] Link to the transition plans — [Where the issuer is subject to an obligation to publish plans pursuant to Article 19a(2), point (a)(iii), or, where applicable, Article 29a(2), point (a)(iii), of Directive 2013/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (3), or where the issuer voluntarily publishes transition plans: — — the manner in which bond proceeds are intended to contribute to funding and implementing those plans. The information may be given at an economic activity level or at a project-by-project level; and — a link to the website where those plans are published.] Securitisation [Where applicable in the case of a securitisation, a description of the manner in which Article 18(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 is complied with and the information required in Article 19(2) of that Regulation.] |
4. Intended allocation of bond proceeds [The information listed below shall be provided at least at the level of the economic activity, and ideally at the level of the project or group of projects. Confidentiality agreements, competitive considerations or a large number of underlying qualifying projects and similar considerations may justify limiting the amount of detail that is made available. Where bond proceeds are allocated to expenditure as referred to in Article 4(3) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, the information may be provided at programme level.] Intended allocation to taxonomy-aligned economic activities — [Whether the issuer is allocating proceeds in accordance with the gradual or portfolio approach, and whether the bond(s) [is a/are] securitisation bond(s).] — [The minimum proportion of bond proceeds that is required according to the issuer’s plans to be used for activities that are environmentally sustainable under Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, according to the methodology in the allocation report (the proportion shall be at least 85 %)]: [XX] % of the bond proceeds.] — [Where available, an indication of the share of the bond proceeds to be used for financing (in the year of issuance or after the year of issuance) and refinancing.] — [Where the issuer is a sovereign, and bond proceeds are planned to be allocated to tax relief as set out in Article 4(3) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, an estimate of the expected volume of revenue loss associated with eligible tax relief.] — [Where available, the targeted environmental objective(s), as referred to in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852.] — [For each of the economic activities to which proceeds are intended to be allocated, information on their types, sectors and respective NACE codes in accordance with the statistical classification of economic activities established by Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council (4).] Intended allocation to specific taxonomy-aligned economic activities — [Where bond proceeds are intended to be allocated to an enabling or transitional economic activity, which type of enabling or transitional economic activity is intended to be financed and, where available, the amount and proportion of proceeds intended to be allocated to each type of enabling or transitional economic activity.] — [Where applicable, the amount and proportion of proceeds intended to be allocated to taxonomy-aligned activities related to nuclear energy and fossil gas in accordance with Articles 10(2) and 11(3) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852.] Intended allocation to economic activities not aligned with the technical screening criteria — [Where bond proceeds are intended to be allocated in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, a statement that the [net] proceeds of the bond are intended to be partially allocated to economic activities that are not aligned with the technical screening criteria. The issuer shall describe such non-alignment, the activities concerned and, where available the estimated percentage of the proceeds intended to finance such activities as a total and on a per-activity basis, including a breakdown describing which point(s) of Article 5(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 is/are being used. Furthermore, an explanation why the technical screening criteria cannot be applied and an explanation of the manner in which the issuer intends to ensure that those activities comply with Article 5(3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 and Article 3, points (a), (b) and (c), of Regulation (EU) 2020/852.] Process and timeline for allocation [The estimated time following bond issuance until the full allocation of bond proceeds.] [A description of the processes by which the issuer will determine how projects align with the criteria for environmentally sustainable economic activities set out in Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 (‘taxonomy requirements’).] Issuance costs [An estimate of the amount of cumulative issuance costs that are deducted from the proceeds, as permitted under Article 4(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, with an accompanying explanation.] |
5. Environmental impact of bond proceeds [Where available, an estimate of the anticipated environmental impacts of the proceeds of the bond(s). Where this information is not available, this must be justified.] |
6. Information on reporting [A link to the issuer’s website as required by Article 15(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631.] [Where applicable, a link to the issuer’s relevant reports, such as the consolidated management report or the consolidated sustainability report pursuant to Directive 2013/34/EU.] The date on which the first reporting period starts, if different from the issuance date, as set out in Article 11(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631. — [An indication of whether allocation reports will include project-by-project information on amounts allocated and the expected environmental impacts.] |
7. CapEx plan — [Where applicable, a detailed description of the CapEx plan referred to in Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 including the main parameters used by the issuer to determine the alignment of the relevant assets or activities with the taxonomy requirements by the end of the period provided for in that Article.] |
8. Other relevant information |
(1)
Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 November 2023 on European Green Bonds and optional disclosures for bonds marketed as environmentally sustainable and for sustainability-linked bonds (OJ L, 2023/2631, 30.11.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2631/oj).
(2)
Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2020 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment, and amending Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 (OJ L 198, 22.6.2020, p. 13).
(3)
Directive 2013/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings, amending Directive 2006/43/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC (OJ L 182, 29.6.2013, p. 19).
(4)
Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 establishing the statistical classification of economic activities NACE Revision 2 and amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 3037/90 as well as certain EC Regulations on specific statistical domains (OJ L 393, 30.12.2006, p. 1). |
[In the case of a securitisation bond, references in this document to the issuer shall be construed as and, where appropriate, replaced with references to the originator.]
ANNEX II
EUROPEAN GREEN BOND ANNUAL ALLOCATION REPORT
[where the allocation report is revised, the title shall reflect this]
This document and its contents are not subject to any approval or endorsement from ESMA or any other competent authority.
1. General information — [Date of issuance of the bond(s) or tranches of the bond(s)] — [Date of publication of the allocation report] — [The first and last date of the period to which the annual allocation report refers: [date – date]] — [The legal name of the issuer] — [Where available, the legal entity identifier (LEI) of the issuer] — [Website address providing investors with information on how to contact the issuer] — [Where available, the name of the bond(s) assigned by the issuer] — [Where available, the international securities identification numbers (ISIN) of the bond(s) and its/their tranches] — [Where the allocation report has been subject to post-issuance review, the identity and contact details of the external reviewer] — [Where applicable, the name of the competent authority that has approved the bond prospectus(es)] |
2. Important information [The following statement: “[This bond uses] [These bonds use] the designation ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’ in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).”] [Where the proceeds of the bonds [are intended to be] [have been] allocated in accordance with Article 5 of that Regulation, the following statement: “[This European Green Bond makes] [These European Green Bonds make] use of the flexibility permitting a partial non-alignment with the technical screening criteria set out in the delegated acts adopted pursuant to Article 10(3), 11(3), 12(2), 13(2), 14(2) or 15(2) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) (‘the technical screening criteria’), as further described in Section 4 of this allocation report.”] |
3. Environmental strategy and rationale Overview [The environmental objectives referred to in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 pursued by the bond[s]] Link with assets, turnover, CapEx, and OpEx key performance indicators [Where the issuer is subject to Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, a description of how, to what extent (e.g., expressed as a percentage change year-on-year), and in which financial periods, bond proceeds contribute to the issuer’s key performance indicators for taxonomy-aligned assets, turnover, capital expenditure and operating expenditure, taking into account the amounts in the ‘Totals’ table in Table A, where applicable.] Link to the transition plan [Where the issuer is subject to an obligation to publish plans pursuant to Article 19a(2), point (a)(iii), or, where applicable, Article 29a(2), point (a)(iii), of Directive 2013/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (3), or where the issuer voluntarily publishes transition plans: — the manner in which bond proceeds contribute to funding and implementing those plans. The information may be given at an economic activity level or at a project-by-project level; and — a link to the website where those plans are published.] Securitisation [Where applicable in the case of securitisation, the information required in Article 19(2) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631.] |
4. Allocation of bond proceeds [The information listed below shall be provided at least at the level of the economic activity, and ideally at the level of the project or group of projects. Confidentiality agreements, competitive considerations, or a large number of underlying qualifying projects and similar considerations may justify limiting the amount of detail that is made available. Where bond proceeds are allocated to expenditure as referred to in Article 4(3) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 the information may be provided at programme level.] Allocation to taxonomy-aligned economic activities — [Whether the issuer is allocating proceeds in accordance with the gradual approach or the portfolio approach, and whether the bond(s) is a/are securitisation bond(s).] — [Where applicable in accordance with Article 11(6) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, a statement that the composition of the portfolio of financial assets and/or fixed assets has not changed, compared to the year covered by the previous allocation report.] — [The issuer shall complete either Table A or Table B below, depending on whether the gradual approach or the portfolio approach to the allocation of proceeds is used. The corresponding totals shall also be completed.] — [Confirmation of compliance with Article 3, point (c), of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 (minimum safeguards).] — [Where the issuer is a sovereign, and bond proceeds have been allocated to tax relief as set out in Article 4(3) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, an estimate of the revenue loss associated with eligible tax relief.] Allocation to specific taxonomy-aligned economic activities — [Where bond proceeds are allocated to an enabling or transitional economic activity, which type of enabling or transitional economic activity is financed and the amount and proportion of proceeds allocated to each type of enabling or transitional economic activity.] — [Where applicable, the amount and proportion of assets relating to taxonomy-aligned activities related to nuclear energy and fossil gas in accordance with Articles 10(2) and 11(3) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852.] Allocation to economic activities not aligned with the technical screening criteria — [Where bond proceeds are allocated in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, a statement that the [net] proceeds of the bond are partially allocated to economic activities that are not aligned with the technical screening criteria. The issuer shall describe such non-alignment, the activities concerned and the percentage of the proceeds that have been allocated to such activities as a total and on a per-activity basis, including a breakdown describing which point(s) of Article 5(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 is/are being used. Furthermore, an explanation why the technical screening criteria cannot be applied and an explanation of the manner in which the issuer has ensured that those activities comply with Article 5(3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 and Article 3, points (a), (b) and (c), of Regulation (EU) 2020/852.] Issuance costs — [An estimate of the amount of cumulative issuance costs that are deducted from the proceeds, as permitted under Article 4(1) Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, with an accompanying explanation.] |
5. Environmental impact of bond proceeds [No information is required to be provided under this Section of the report.] |
6. Information on reporting — [A link to the issuer’s website referred to in Article 15(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631.] — [Where applicable, a link to the issuer’s relevant reports, such as the consolidated management report or the consolidated sustainability report pursuant to Directive 2013/34/EU.] |
7. CapEx plan — [Where applicable, progress made in the implementation of the CapEx plan referred to in Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 and the estimated date of completion of the projects therein.] — [Where there has been any delay or deviation that has a significant impact on the implementation of the CapEx plan, the issuer shall provide the reasons therefor, in accordance with Article 11(2) of that Regulation.] — [Where applicable, the plan referred to in Article 8(3) of that Regulation.] |
8. Other relevant information |
(1)
Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 November 2023 on European Green Bonds and optional disclosures for bonds marketed as environmentally sustainable and for sustainability-linked bonds (OJ L, 2023/2631, 30.11.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2631/oj).
(2)
Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2020 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment, and amending Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 (OJ L 198, 22.6.2020, p. 13).
(3)
Directive 2013/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings, amending Directive 2006/43/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC (OJ L 182, 29.6.2013, p. 19). |
[In the case of a securitisation bond, references to the issuer in this document shall be construed as and, where appropriate, replaced with references to the originator.]
Table A: Taxonomy alignment of proceeds information for bonds making use of the gradual approach to the allocation of bond proceeds
[The information in the table below shall be provided at least at the level of the economic activity and ideally at the level of the project or group of projects. Confidentiality agreements, competitive considerations or a large number of underlying qualifying projects and similar considerations may justify limiting the amount of detail that is made available. Where bond proceeds are allocated to expenditure as referred to in Article 4(3) the information may be provided at programme level.]
The information in the table below covers the period from the issuance of the bond concerned up to the reporting date.
1. Project (or group of projects or economic activity) name, location and description |
1.1. (for each project/group of projects/economic activity, as applicable) [Name] |
1.2. [Location] |
1.3. [Basic description] |
2. Amount of proceeds allocated from the bond(s) |
2.1. [bond proceeds allocated to this project/group of projects/economic activity since the issuance date] |
2.2. [bond proceeds allocated to this project/group of projects/economic activity in the reporting period] |
2.3. Share of project that is funded by the bond(s) |
3. Share of total proceeds used for financing (in the year of issuance or after the year of issuance) or refinancing (earlier) |
3.1. [the share of the amount in row 2.1 used for financing and refinancing] |
3.2. [the share of the amount in row 2.2 used for financing and refinancing] |
4. Type and sector of economic activities funded by the bond(s) |
4.1. [For each of the economic activities related to the project funded by the bond(s): the types/sectors] |
4.2. [For each of the economic activities related to the project funded by the bond(s): where applicable, the respective NACE codes in accordance with the statistical classification of economic activities established by Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1)] |
5. Amount of proceeds allocated from the bond(s) that are taxonomy-aligned |
5.1. [of the total bond proceeds allocated to the project, the amount that is allocated to an activity which is taxonomy-aligned since the issuance date] |
5.2. [percentage share of amount given in row 2.1] |
5.3. [of the bond proceeds allocated to the project in the reporting period, the amount that is allocated to an activity which is taxonomy-aligned in the reporting period] |
5.4. [percentage share of amount given in row 2.2] |
6. Environmental objectives and technical screening criteria |
6.1. [The targeted environmental objective(s), as referred to in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852] |
6.2. [An indication of which delegated acts adopted in accordance with Article 10(3), 11(3), 12(2), 13(2), 14(2) or 15(2) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 are used to determine the technical screening criteria, and their application dates] |
6.3. [Information on the methodology and assumptions used for the calculation of key impact metrics in accordance with delegated acts adopted under Articles 10(3), 11(3), 12(2), 13(2), 14(2) and 15(2) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, and for any additional impact metrics] |
7. Nature of environmentally sustainable assets and expenditure |
7.1. [of the amount allocated in the reporting period in row 5.3, capital expenditure amount] |
7.2. [of the amount allocated in the reporting period in row 5.3, operating expenditure amount] |
7.3. [of the amount allocated in the reporting period in row 5.3, fixed assets amount] |
7.4. [of the amount allocated in the reporting period in row 5.3, financial assets amount] |
8. Other relevant information |
8.1. [Other relevant information, such as relevant environmental key performance indicators, and also links to websites with relevant information and links to relevant public documents with more detailed information, such as the website of the company describing the project or a report by an environmental consultancy] |
(1)
Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 establishing the statistical classification of economic activities NACE Revision 2 and amending Council Regulation (EEC) No 3037/90 as well as certain EC Regulations on specific statistical domains (OJ L 393, 30.12.2006, p. 1). |
Totals:
Since issuance |
[reporting period] |
Total amount of bond proceeds allocated since issuance: [X] Of which, total amount of bond proceeds allocated to taxonomy-aligned economic activities since issuance: [X] |
Total amount of bond proceeds allocated in the reporting period: [X] Of which, total amount of bond proceeds allocated to taxonomy-aligned economic activities in the reporting period: [X] Of which: — Total amount of bond proceeds allocated to taxonomy-aligned capital expenditure in the reporting period: [X] — Total amount of bond proceeds allocated to taxonomy-aligned operating expenditure in the reporting period: [X] — Total amount of bond proceeds allocated to taxonomy-aligned [other] in the reporting period: [X] |
Table B: Taxonomy alignment of proceeds information for bonds making use of the portfolio approach to the allocation of bond proceeds
[The information in the table below shall be provided at least at the level of the economic activity, and ideally at the level of the project or group of projects. Confidentiality agreements, competitive considerations or a large number of underlying qualifying projects and similar considerations may justify limiting the amount of detail that is made available. Some or all of the required information may be given outside of the table format.]
The information in the table below covers the reporting period.
Outstanding European Green Bonds |
Portfolio of environmentally sustainable assets |
[An overview over all outstanding European Green Bonds, indicating their individual and combined value.] |
[An overview over the eligible financial assets and assets as referred to in Article 4(2) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 on the issuer’s balance sheet, indicating: 1. [Name, location, and basic description of project] 2. [Where available, an indication of the proceeds that are intended to be allocated to this project from the bond] 3. [Where available, an indication of the share of the amount in point 2 to be used for financing and refinancing] 4. [For each of the economic activities related to the project funded by the bond: the types/sectors and, where applicable, the respective NACE codes in accordance with the statistical classification of economic activities established by Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006] 5. [Where available, the amount of the proceeds for that project funded by the bond that are allocated to an activity which is taxonomy-aligned] [percentage share of amount given in point 2] 6. [The targeted environmental objective(s), as referred to in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852] [An indication of which delegated acts adopted in accordance with Article 10(3), 11(3), 12(2), 13(2), 14(2) or 15(2) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 are used to determine the technical screening criteria, and their application dates] [Information on the methodology and assumptions used for the calculation of key impact metrics in accordance with delegated acts adopted under Articles 10(3), 11(3), 12(2), 13(2), 14(2) and 15(2) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, and for any additional impact metrics.] 7. [Where available, the breakdown of the amount referred to in point 5 according to whether proceeds are allocated to fixed assets or financial assets.] 8. [Where applicable, additions or removals from the project portfolio in the event that new European Green Bonds are added to the portfolio or that (maturing) European Green Bonds are removed from the portfolio]. 9. [Where available, indicate the amount and/or number of new projects versus the amount of new European Green Bond issuance in the calendar year of issuance.] 10. [Other relevant information, such as relevant environmental key performance indicators, and also links to websites with relevant information and links to relevant public documents with more detailed information.] |
Total value of portfolio of outstanding European Green Bonds: |
Total value of portfolio of environmentally sustainable assets: Total value of portfolio of environmentally sustainable assets related to an activity that is taxonomy-aligned: |
ANNEX III
EUROPEAN GREEN BOND IMPACT REPORT
[Where the impact report is revised, the title shall reflect this.]
This document and its contents are not subject to any approval or endorsement from ESMA or any other competent authority.
1. General information — [Date of publication of the impact report] — [Where applicable, the date of publication of the revised impact report] — [Date of issuance of the bond(s) or tranches of the bond(s)] — [The legal name of the issuer] — [Where available, the legal entity identifier (LEI) of the issuer] — [Website address providing investors with information on how to contact the issuer] — [Where available, the name of the bond(s) assigned by the issuer] — [Where available, the international securities identification numbers (ISIN) of the bond(s) and its/their tranches] — [Where the impact report was assessed by an external reviewer, the identity and contact details of the external reviewer] — [Where applicable, the name of the competent authority that has approved the bond prospectus(es)] |
2. Important information — [The following statement: “[This bond uses] [These bonds use] the designation ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’ in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1)].”] — [Where bond proceeds have been allocated in accordance with Article 5 of that Regulation, the following statement: “[This European Green Bond makes] [These European Green Bonds make] use of the flexibility permitting a partial non-alignment with the technical screening criteria set out in the delegated acts adopted pursuant to Article 10(3), 11(3), 12(2), 13(2), 14(2) or 15(2) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) (‘the technical screening criteria’), as further described in Section 4 of this impact report.”] |
3. Environmental strategy and rationale Overview — [Information on the manner in which the bond(s) has (have) contributed to the broader environmental strategy of the issuer.] — [Where applicable, an explanation of any changes to the broader environmental strategy of the issuer since the publication of the European Green Bond factsheet.] — [The environmental objectives referred to in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852 pursued by the bond(s).] Capital expenditure and operating expenditure key performance indicators — [Where the issuer is subject to Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, a description of how, to what extent (e.g., expressed as a percentage change year-on-year) and in which financial periods bond proceeds have contributed to the issuer’s key performance indicators for taxonomy-aligned assets, turnover, capital expenditure and operating expenditure.] Link to the transition plan — [Where the issuer is subject to an obligation to publish plans pursuant to Article 19a(2), point (a)(iii), or, where applicable, Article 29a(2), point (a)(iii), of Directive 2013/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council (3), or where the issuer voluntarily publishes transition plans: — — the manner in which bond proceeds have contributed to funding and implementing those plans. The information may be given at an aggregate economic activity level or at a project-by-project level; and — a link to the website where those plans are published.] |
4. Allocation of bond proceeds [The information listed below shall be provided at least at the level of the economic activity, and ideally at the level of the project or group of projects. Confidentiality agreements, competitive considerations or a large number of underlying qualifying projects and similar considerations may justify limiting the amount of detail that is made available. Where bond proceeds are allocated to expenditure as referred to in Article 4(3) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 the information may be provided at programme level.] Allocation to specific taxonomy-aligned economic activities [The proportion of bond proceeds that was allocated to activities that are environmentally sustainable under Article 3 of Regulation (EU) 2020/852, according to the methodology set out in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2023/2631:] [XX] % of the bond proceeds.] [Where bond proceeds were allocated to an enabling or transitional economic activity, specifying the enabling or transitional economic activity and the amount and proportion of proceeds allocated to each type of enabling or transitional economic activity.] [Where applicable, the amount and proportion of assets relating to taxonomy-aligned activities related to nuclear energy and fossil gas in accordance with Article 10(2) and 11(3) of Regulation (EU) 2020/852.] Allocation to economic activities not aligned with the technical screening criteria [Where bond proceeds were allocated in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, a statement that the [net] proceeds of the bond were partially allocated to economic activities which are not aligned with the technical screening criteria. The issuer shall describe such non-alignment, the activities concerned and the percentage of the proceeds that have been allocated to such activities as a total and on a per-activity basis, including a breakdown describing which point(s) of Article 5(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 was/were used. Furthermore, an explanation why the technical screening criteria could not be applied and an explanation of the manner in which the issuer has ensured that those activities comply with Article 5(3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 and Article 3, points (a), (b) and (c), of Regulation (EU) 2020/852.] |
5. Environmental impact of bond proceeds — [An estimate of positive and adverse environmental impacts in aggregated form.] — [Information on the methodology and assumptions used to evaluate the impacts of projects, where the European green bond factsheet of the bond did not include this information.] — [Information about the projects’ positive and negative environmental impacts and, where available, related metrics. Where this information is not available at project level, this must be explained.] — [Where the issuer wishes to include it, information about whether and how the project has contributed to other sustainability aspects of the bond, including the social aspects of the transition towards climate neutrality, such as by providing new jobs, re-skilling and local infrastructure to communities affected by the transition of economic activities towards sustainability.] — [Where bond proceeds are allocated in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, the issuer shall report this information separately for those projects and activities.] |
6. Information on reporting — [A link to the issuer’s website referred to in Article 15(1) of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631.] — [Where applicable, a link to the issuer’s relevant reports, such as the consolidated management report or the consolidated sustainability report pursuant to Directive 2013/34/EU.] |
7. CapEx plan [Where applicable, progress made in the implementation of the CapEx plan referred to in Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631.] |
8. Other relevant information |
(1)
Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 November 2023 on European Green Bonds and optional disclosures for bonds marketed as environmentally sustainable and for sustainability-linked bonds (OJ L, 2023/2631, 30.11.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2631/oj).
(2)
Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2020 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment, and amending Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 (OJ L 198, 22.6.2020, p. 13).
(3)
Directive 2013/34/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 June 2013 on the annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings, amending Directive 2006/43/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Council Directives 78/660/EEC and 83/349/EEC (OJ L 182, 29.6.2013, p. 19). |
[In the case of a securitisation bond, references to the issuer in this document shall be construed as and, where appropriate, replaced with references to the originator.]
ANNEX IV
CONTENTS OF PRE-ISSUANCE, POST-ISSUANCE OR IMPACT REPORT REVIEWS
This document and its contents are not subject to any approval or endorsement from ESMA or any other competent authority.
The title ‘Pre-issuance review’, ‘Post-issuance review’ or ‘Impact Report review’ shall appear prominently at the top of the first page of the document. |
1. General information — [Date of publication of the review] — [Date of issuance of the bond(s) or tranches of the bond(s)] — [Date of publication of the related European Green Bond factsheet, and where applicable, of the related allocation report, or the impact report] — [The legal name of the issuer] — [Where available, the legal entity identifier (LEI) of the issuer] — [Where available, the name of the bond(s) assigned by the issuer] — [Where available, the international securities identification numbers (ISIN) of the bond(s) and its/their tranches] — [The identity and contact details of the external reviewer, including its website address] — [The name and job title of the lead analyst in a given assessment activity] — [The name and position of the person primarily responsible for approving the review] — [Where relevant, the date on which the review was last updated and an explanation detailing the reason for the update] — [Where applicable, other services provided by the external reviewer for the assessed entity together with a description of any actual or potential conflicts of interest] |
2. Introductory statements [For pre-issuance reviews: A statement that the external reviewer has assessed the completed European Green Bond factsheet laid down in Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1)] [For post-issuance reviews: A statement that the external reviewer has assessed the completed European Green Bond allocation report laid down in Annex II to Regulation (EU) 2023/2631] [For impact report reviews: A statement that the external reviewer has assessed the completed European Green Bond impact report laid down in Annex III to Regulation (EU) 2023/2631] [A statement that this review represents an independent opinion of the external reviewer, and is to be relied upon only to a limited degree] |
3. Statements on the alignment of use of proceeds with Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council (2) [This section shall only be completed in the case of a pre-issuance review or a post-issuance review.] [A statement regarding the alignment of the use of proceeds of the European Green Bond (or Bonds) with Regulation (EU) 2020/852 based on the information provided by the issuer to the external reviewer: — where the opinion expressed by the independent reviewer is positive, a statement that the bond(s) meets – or is expected to meet, where relevant – the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 as regards the use of proceeds; — where the opinion expressed by the independent reviewer is negative, a statement that the bond(s) does not meet – or is not expected to meet, where relevant – the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 as regards the use of proceeds, and that the designation ‘European Green Bond’ or ‘EuGB’ can only be used if the bond is submitted for a new review and obtains a positive opinion.] |
4. Sources, assessment methodologies, and key assumptions — [Information about the sources relied upon to prepare the review, including links to measurement data and the methodology applied, where available] — [An explanation of the assessment methodologies and key assumptions] — [An explanation of the assumptions and taxonomy requirements used, of the limits and uncertainties surrounding the methodologies used and a clear statement about whether the external reviewer considers that the quality of information provided by the issuer or related third party is sufficient to perform the review and the extent to which the external reviewer has attempted to verify the information so provided] |
5. Assessment and opinion [In each case based on the information provided by the issuer to the external reviewer – to be specified, where appropriate.] [For pre-issuance reviews: — A detailed assessment of whether the completed factsheet aligns with Articles 4 to 8 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631; — The opinion of the external reviewer on the assessment mentioned above; — Where bond proceeds are intended to be allocated in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, the assessment and opinion shall be provided in a dedicated section.] [For post-issuance reviews: — A detailed assessment of whether the issuer has allocated the proceeds of the bond in alignment with Articles 4 to 8 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631; — An assessment of whether the issuer has complied with the intended use of proceeds set out in the European Green Bond factsheet; — The opinion of the external reviewer on the two assessments referred to in the first and second indent; — For assets or activities that are subject to a CapEx plan, an assessment upon its completion of whether those assets or activities meet the taxonomy requirements; — Where bond proceeds are allocated in accordance with Article 5 of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, the assessment and opinion shall be provided in a dedicated section. The assessment shall indicate whether each of the relevant requirements of that Article have been met.] [For impact report reviews: — An assessment of whether the bond issuance aligns with the broader environmental strategy and rationale of the issuer; — An assessment of the indicated environmental impact of the bond proceeds; — The opinion of the external reviewer on the assessments referred to in the first and second indent.] |
6. Any other information [Any other information that the reviewer may deem relevant to its review.] |
(1)
Regulation (EU) 2023/2631 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 November 2023 on European Green Bonds and optional disclosures for bonds marketed as environmentally sustainable and for sustainability-linked bonds (OJ L, 2023/2631, 30.11.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2631/oj).
(2)
Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 June 2020 on the establishment of a framework to facilitate sustainable investment, and amending Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 (OJ L 198, 22.6.2020, p. 13). |
[In the case of a securitisation bond, references to the issuer in this document shall be construed as and, where appropriate, replaced with references to the originator.]
( 1 ) Directive 2014/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 May 2014 on markets in financial instruments and amending Directive 2002/92/EC and Directive 2011/61/EU (OJ L 173, 12.6.2014, p. 349).
( 2 ) Regulation (EU) 2023/2859 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2023 establishing a European single access point providing centralised access to publicly available information of relevance to financial services, capital markets and sustainability (OJ L, 2023/2859, 20.12.2023, ELI: http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/2859/oj).
( 3 ) Regulation No 1 of 15 April 1958 determining the languages to be used by the European Economic Community (OJ 17, 6.10.1958, p. 385/58).
( 4 ) Regulation (EU) 2018/1725 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2018 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data by the Union institutions, bodies, offices and agencies and on the free movement of such data, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 and Decision No 1247/2002/EC (OJ L 295, 21.11.2018, p. 39).
( 5 ) Regulation (EU) 2021/1119 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 June 2021 establishing the framework for achieving climate neutrality and amending Regulations (EC) No 401/2009 and (EU) 2018/1999 (‘European Climate Law’) (OJ L 243, 9.7.2021, p. 1).
( 6 ) Regulation (EU) No 1094/2010 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 November 2010 establishing a European Supervisory Authority (European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority), amending Decision No 716/2009/EC and repealing Commission Decision 2009/79/EC (OJ L 331, 15.12.2010, p. 48).