Dr Ben Allen, from IEEP’s Research Director, has been named co-rapporteur for the Technical Working Group of the EU’s Platform on Sustainable Finance.

The Platform on Sustainable Finance (PSF) is an expert advisory group, announced by the European Commission in October 2020. Among its responsibilities, the platform will advise the Commission on the development of technical screening criteria for the EU taxonomy.

What is EU taxonomy?

First presented by the European Commission in May 2018, EU taxonomy aims to become the world’s first-ever “green list” – a classification system for sustainable economic activities – that, according to the Commission, “will create a common language that investors can use everywhere when investing in projects and economic activities that have a substantial positive impact on the climate and the environment”.

“The EU taxonomy is one of the key tools to enable a truly green recovery and deliver on the objectives of the European Green Deal. It will do this by setting out clearly, transparently and on the basis of science and evidence, what is considered to be ‘green’ in EU law, across the economy as a whole.”

— Ben Allen

Technical Working Group

The Technical Working Group is the largest group under the platform and is central to establishing the criteria and thresholds against which economic activities will be judged to be sustainable. 

As co-rapporteur, Allen’s roles will include the chairing of the group, coordinating the drafting of the relevant reports, opinions and recommendations to the Commission, and ensuring that the group delivers on its mandate and tasks.

“The technical scope of the work is vast with six environmental objectives – from the circular economy to the protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems – and covers all sectors of the economy. We will need to prioritise and focus, with the support of the Commission and in particular the JRC, in making sure that we address first the most impactful sectors.

Delivering on the EU’s Green Deal ambition will require €1tn over the next decade, which cannot be delivered through public spending alone. Private finance will therefore be essential and the financial sector will need clear guidance to mobilise these funds quickly.”

— Ben Allen

About Ben Allen

Dr Ben Allen is the Research Director at IEEP. He holds degrees in environmental biology and a PhD in land use and spatial ecology.

Before being appointed to the Platform on Sustainable Finance and the Technical Working Group, he was a contracted expert to its predecessor, the Technical Expert Group on sustainable finance (TEG), where he supported the TEG chairs in the development of the technical screening criteria for climate mitigation and the ‘do no significant harm’ criteria.

Since joining IEEP in 2010, Allen has led a wide variety of projects addressing resource use and climate objectives in agriculture, forestry and other rural land uses. He also works on topics linked to circular bioeconomy, energy and transport sectors, as well as biodiversity and ecosystems. His recent focus includes climate and natural climate solutions – particularly in their role in supporting the achievement of net-zero emissions across the economy.