ESA Joint Committee · sfdr-11 Final

Is it possible for financial market participants that are below the threshold set by Article 4(3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 and choose not to consider adverse impacts of investment decision

Regulation
SFDR
Answered
2022-05-17
Answer provided by
European Commission
⚠

Joint Committee Q&As are published in consolidated PDF documents without explicit question/answer delimiters. Section boundaries below are identified automatically and may occasionally be imprecise.

Question

Is it possible for financial market participants that are below the threshold set by Article 4(3) and (4) of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 and choose not to consider adverse impacts of investment decisions on sustainability factors at entity level (Article 4(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088) to indicate that they do consider principal adverse impacts (PAI) at product level only for a certain subset of financial products? In other words, can a financial market participant not consider PAI at entity level but nevertheless consider PAI under Article 7 of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 for some of the financial products it manages, and if they do so, can they disclose this under Article 4(1)(b) of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088?

Answer

A financial market participant that - is below the thresholds laid down in Article 4, paragraph 3 or 4, of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088; and - does not consider adverse impacts of investment decisions on sustainability factors at entity level; and - publishes and maintains on its website clear reasons for why it does not consider such adverse impacts, in accordance with Article 4(1), point (b), of that Regulation, may, notwithstanding the criteria set out in Article 7(1), first subparagraph, of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088, manufacture a financial product that pursues a reduction of negative externalities caused by the investments underlying that product. Financial market participants are responsible for assessing which financial products must comply with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088; in consequence, where a financial product falls under Article 8 or Article 9 of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088, they must ensure compliance with the applicable disclosure requirements. Moreover, financial market participants shall include in the pre- 4 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). contractual disclosures referred to in Article 6(1) and (3), and in the periodic reports referred to in Article 11(2) of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 information explaining how it considers or has considered the financial product’s principal adverse impacts on sustainability factors. Financial market participants must, where relevant, include the information referred to in Article 4(1), point (b), of Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 setting out clear reasons as to whether and when they intend to consider such adverse impacts at entity level. A financial product pursuing a reduction of negative externalities caused by the investments underlying that product must not be part of such entity level information.

This Q&A is published by ESA Joint Committee (EBA, ESMA, EIOPA) and is non-binding. It does not constitute legal advice. Updated weekly from official ESA sources.

Similar Q&As

📋 Track EU financial regulation continuously

Forseti monitors EU financial regulation and delivers personalised alerts anchored to verified official sources.

14-day free trial. No credit card required.