The goal for the EU Commission is “to reconcile the economy with our planet, to reconcile the way we produce and the way we consume with our planet, and to make it work for our people”. The EU leaders recognise notably that the transition to climate neutrality would bring significant opportunities, such as potential for economic growth, business and technological development.

It is worth therefore discussing the conditions to foster investment in sustainable projects. Indeed, while according to the EIB 2019 economic investment report, the investment activity in the European Union had recovered from the recession following the financial crisis, the report stresses that the investment required notably to the transition to a net zero-carbon economy is not yet on track.

Indeed, an effective and swift-enough transition requires in particular an un precedented effort from citizens, consumers, SMEs, etc. and in particular that they foster sustainable investments. However, progress in this area result from a complex combination of forward-looking targets, transparency tools, governance arrangements, financing/risk reduction facilities and efficient incentivisation frameworks.

Such a complexity is further compounded by a context of ever higher indebted EU economies focused on growth relaunch in the Covid19 pandemic context. This requires turning the Green Deal into an indispensable tool to set the policies that will enable reducing risks in the EU, be they climate or biodiversity related, and bring about additional growth opportunities in the EU.