The European green bond market is growing
quickly though industry-wide standards are still lacking.
But plans to bolster investor protection need to ensure
that they do not act as a deterrent to issuers in a similar way
to the US.
Last year nearly half of the
world’s green bond issuances came from Europe, and
five of the top 10 issuing countries were European. Analysis by
Standard & Poor’s predicts the global green
bond market will increase by 30% in value this year with Europe
continuing to be at the forefront.
Earlier this month, the EU said it needs to raise an
additional €180 billion ($221 billion) of investment in
green infrastructure every year to meet its 2030 climate
targets and plans to implement a new EU standard for green
bonds to help achieve its target later in the year. The EU
High-Level Group on Sustainable Finance has proposed ensuring
that funds...