The goal of this study by AK is to describe the status quo with sustainable financial products. In this context, the following aspects are analyzed:

• Legal framework, laws
• Factors on the supply side (banks, investment companies, rating agencies)
• Factors on the demand side (consumers)

There were turbulent scenes in the plenary of the European Parliament on 8 June 2022: the vote on Parliament’s position on the Emission Trading System did not result in a majority for the final report. As a result, voting on the Social Climate Fund and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism was suspended and all three dossiers were referred back to the Environment Committee.

The Brussels Offices of the Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour (AK EUROPA) and the Austrian Trade Union (ÖGB Europabüro) are pleased to invite you to our event:

The EU Commission is currently working on guidelines, which would make direct awards in public transport significantly more difficult. To address this subject, AK EUROPA, together with ÖGB, vida and the European Transport Workers Federation ETF hosted a webinar, where speakers made it clear: Member States should still have the choice whether they want competitive tendering or directly award transport services.

In response to the still extremely high and volatile energy prices, the EU Commission announced additional short-term intervention measures in the market. The AK welcomes the proposed measures. It is now up to the Member States to take them up and to implement them as soon as possible. Following the example of Spain and Portugal, it would be particularly beneficial to introduce a price cap for electricity-generating gas power plants. Such a cap would significantly lower the electricity price and take the pressure off the economy.

The Brussels Office of the Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour (AK EUROPA), the Brussels Office of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB), the Austrian Transport & Services Union (vida) and the European Transport Worker´s Federation (ETF) are pleased to invite you to our webinar.

In order to make food supply in Europe more sustainable and to provide consumers with better choices, the EU Commission has launched consultations on improved food labelling in Europe. AK participated in these, demanding, among other, the obligatory introduction of Nutri-Scores and nutrient profiles.

Together with more than 220 civil society organisations and trade unions, AK EUROPA welcome the European Commission’s legislative proposal for a directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence.

The railway systems in Switzerland and Austria are widely regarded as the best in Europe. In both countries, most of the railway services are awarded directly. A new study commissioned by AK concludes that the PSO Regulation still entitles Member States and authorities to choose equally between direct awarding and competitive tendering. The new guidelines for the PSO Regulation on which the Commission is currently working should therefore retain this freedom of choice between direct awarding and competitive tendering.