Parliament voted for a new sustainability disclosure regulation in German pensions law
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News: February 26, 2001:

The German Parliament (Deutsche Bundestag) decided at the end of January this year
to establish an ethical, environmental and social disclosure regulation in the new German pensions law.
This regulation in the private pensions scheme means that from January, 1st, 2002 every fond or insurer
has to report yearly to their clients whether at all and to what extent ethical, environmental and social considerations are taken into account in the realisation of investments with the given amount of money.
There will be further negotiations with the second chamber of parliament (the Bundesrat) in the next weeks,
but it seems very likely, that this regulation will also pass this hurdle.

So, this is a new big step towards more sustainability in investments and financial markets in Germany.
New products will be created and the competition of the investment fonds on the one hand and new
rating-companies and consumer associations on the other hand will take care of more security and a
better understanding of "ethical, environmental and social considerations".

Different groups of the German civil society, environmental and development NGOs, experts, institutions,
ethical investment-fonds, banks and politicians have discussed this issue since summer 2000.
The main initiative however goes back to the German Foundation for Sustainabiltiy, which is closely linked to the German NGO GERMANWATCH.

More information:

Stiftung Zukunftsfähigkeit : Kaiserstraße 201, D-53113 BONN, Tel: ++49-228-60492-33 / Fax -19
Klaus Milke , T: ++49-40-79143121, Christoph Bals ++49-228-60492-17
Dr. Michael Baumann, ++49-30- 284984-51
mail: info@stiftungzukunft.de / www.stiftungzukunft.de