ESG regulation in Europe is still in its infancy, and it is still a long way off being harmonised. This makes the development and management of a European real estate port-folio a complex task.

This complexity increases if the investment strategy is to take into consideration ESG aspects as laid down in Articles 8 and 9 of the EU Disclosure Directive. An asset manager wishing to implement such a Europe-wide strategy needs to keep a very close eye on the continent’s respective national markets and be very familiar with each country’s various requirements.

With ESG-oriented strategies, the focus is currently on the topics of climate protection, energy efficiency and a reduction in CO2 emissions. As the regulations are continually undergoing further development, however, other ecological issues, such as the prevention of water pollution and waste avoidance, are increasingly coming to the fore — as are questions relating to social sustainability, such as afford-able