Role of company law in combating climate change to be assessed at conference

The role of company law in combating climate change and other global environmental threats will be assessed at a conference to be held in Helsinki today.

The theme of the conference will be dealt with in three panel discussions involving a wide range of representatives of different companies, investors and environmental organisations.

One of the topics to be discussed at the conference is the European Green Deal, which was published by the European Commission yesterday. Its impacts on company law regulation and corporate governance will be presented by Director Salla Saastamoinen from the Commission's Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers. Saastamoinen’s presentation will be supplemented by Professor Beate Sjåfjell, who will talk about the reform proposals drawn up as part of the SMART project funded by the Commission, among them a proposal to redefine the purpose of the company and the role of the management.

The presentations to be given by Professors Luigi Zingales and Alexander Dyck relate to the international debate on the reform of capitalism and the market economy.

The conference will be streamed live.