With 49 votes in favour and 5 against, MEPs in the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on Tuesday 31 January agreed their negotiating position on the European Single Access Point (ESAP), which aims to make information on EU companies and financial products more easily accessible (see EUROPE 13110/10). The text constitutes a negotiating mandate for negotiations with the EU Council, which decided its position in June 2022 (see EUROPE 12982/18). All compromise amendments were approved.
“A successful ESAP carries the possibility to turn the tide and encourage better capital allocation beyond national borders by allowing market participants to have reliable and comparable corporate information at their fingertips”, rapporteur Pedro Silva Pereira (S&D, Portuguese), said in a statement.
He also welcomed the fact that ESAP “will not generate any new reporting obligations for our businesses”, as the information that will be available will already be made public due to EU legislation.
“We have also worked to retain the possibility of including voluntary information, as this will be of particular benefit in giving visibility to small businesses”, said Frances Fitzgerald (Irish), EPP negotiator, in a statement. This information will be available from 1 January 2027.
The information on companies will not only be financial, but will also cover sustainability, social governance or the diversity of companies’ workplaces.
MEPs wanted to extend the scope by adding small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), but on a voluntary basis.
In two further separate votes, MEPs adopted amendments to certain regulations and directives to bring them into line with ESAP and thus ensure easier access to public information.
To read the European Parliament’s position on the ESAP directive: https://aeur.eu/f/55g
The revised regulations: https://aeur.eu/f/55h ; https://aeur.eu/f/55i
And the annex: https://aeur.eu/f/55j (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)