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The EU’s sustainable finance rules should help investors understand where their money is going and support Europe’s transition. The Commission’s proposal improves the current system, but some changes are still needed.

The new Transition category should focus on whether companies are cutting emissions, not on the sector they operate in. The 70% threshold should stay. The rules should also work with MiFID II and the EU Taxonomy.

Companies need 24 months to prepare. Firms that fall outside the new scope should stop reporting as soon as the rules enter into force.

Read the paper to learn how SFDR 2.0 can direct more capital towards Europe’s transition.

Meta’s open-source Canopy Height Maps helped the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre improve its 2020 Global Forest Cover map, demonstrating how artificial intelligence can strengthen Europe’s ability to monitor forests and advance climate and biodiversity goals. Developed with the World Resources Institute, the maps use Meta’s DINO self-supervised computer vision model to estimate tree height from satellite imagery. This helped researchers apply the five-metre threshold used in many international forest definitions and better distinguish forests from other tree-covered land, including agricultural tree crops. The resulting product, available through the EU Forest Observatory, provides one of the most comprehensive open views of global forest cover. Read more on Invested in Europe.

How can Europe strengthen its digital resilience while remaining open to the partnerships that drive AI innovation? On Wednesday, 17 June, Malte Lohan, CEO, AmCham EU, addressed this at a conference organised by the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU in Nicosia, Cyprus. Discussions focused on how Europe can build a more resilient digital ecosystem while remaining an attractive destination for investment and innovation. Mr Lohan underlined that secure supply chains and trusted partnerships are essential to Europe’s AI competitiveness. He also highlighted the role of US businesses as committed partners in helping Europe build and compete globally, while stressing the need for balanced policies that strengthen resilience and give companies the confidence to invest in Europe.