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Sustainable finance, the good, the bad and the ugly: a critical assessment of the EU institutional framework for the green transition

Author

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  • Lorenzo Esposito

    (DISCE, Università Cattolica - Banca d’Italia, sede di Milano)

  • Ettore Giuseppe Gatti

    (DISCE, Università Cattolica)

  • Giuseppe Mastromatteo

    (DISCE, Università Cattolica)

Abstract

The transition to a green economy is arguably the most important economic transformation of the next decades. To be completed it requires the mobilization of astounding resources, a flow of technological innovation and a whole series of new rules going from technical standards to financial regulation. Given the resources it needs, the transition, to be credible, requires a full engagement of the financial system. On this regard we analyze the policy set-up of Europe, the most advanced area on the issue. We identify a three-layer functioning of the EU project for transition. The first one (“green products”) is fully compatible with the present financial system. A second layer entails changes in the business model and organization of financial operators but it can be phased in with minor overhauls. Finally, there is a third layer, largely incompatible with the present financial system, yet crucial to achieve transition. We show that, according to the same EU analysis, the transition needs a total change in the financial landscape and therefore it is, rebus sic stantibus, intrinsically unfeasible. We suggest ways to escape the dilemma that connects financial stability and green economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Lorenzo Esposito & Ettore Giuseppe Gatti & Giuseppe Mastromatteo, 2019. "Sustainable finance, the good, the bad and the ugly: a critical assessment of the EU institutional framework for the green transition," DISCE - Quaderni del Dipartimento di Politica Economica dipe0004, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimenti e Istituti di Scienze Economiche (DISCE).
  • Handle: RePEc:ctc:serie5:dipe0004
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    File URL: http://dipartimenti.unicatt.it/politica-economica-DIPE0004.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Giacomo Damioli & Vincent Van Roy & Daniel Vertesy & Marco Vivarelli, 2023. "AI technologies and employment: micro evidence from the supply side," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(6), pages 816-821, March.
    2. Guastella, Gianni & Mazzarano, Matteo & Pareglio, Stefano & Xepapadeas, Anastasios, 2022. "Climate reputation risk and abnormal returns in the stock markets: A focus on large emitters," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    3. Mazzarano, Matteo & Guastella, Gianni & Pareglio, Stefano & Xepapadeas, Anastasios & Borghesi, Simone, 2024. "“Carbon” boards and transition risk: Explicit and implicit exposure implications for total stock returns and dividends payouts," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    4. Davidescu, Adriana AnaMaria & Popovici, Oana Cristina & Strat, Vasile Alecsandru, 2022. "Estimating the impact of green ESIF in Romania using input-output model," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    5. Jacopo Staccioli & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2020. "The present, past, and future of labor-saving technologies," LEM Papers Series 2020/37, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    climate change; sustainable finance; EU;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming

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