Recital 3

(3)In March 2018, the Commission published its Action Plan ‘Financing Sustainable Growth’ ⁴ , setting up an ambitious and comprehensive strategy on sustainable finance. One of the objectives set out in the Action Plan is to reorient capital flows towards sustainable investments to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth. The impact assessment underpinning subsequent legislative initiatives published in May 2018 ⁵ demonstrated the need to clarify that sustainability factors should be taken into account by investment firms as part of their duties towards clients and potential clients. Investment firms should therefore consider not only all relevant financial risks on an ongoing basis, but also all relevant sustainability risks as referred to in Regulation (EU) 2019/2088 of the European Parliament and of the Council ⁶ that, where they occur, could cause an actual or potential material negative impact on the value of an investment. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2017/565 ⁷ does not explicitly refer to sustainability risks. For that reason and to ensure that internal procedures and organisational arrangements are properly implemented and adhered to, it is necessary to clarify that processes, systems and internal controls of investment firms should reflect sustainability risks, and that technical capacity and knowledge is necessary to analyse those risks.