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French NGOs, gathered in the Citizen’s Forum for Economic Justice, condemn President Emmanuel Macron's announcement at the Choose France summit to set aside the European directive on corporate sustainability due diligence (CSDDD). The NGOs argue that this move aligns France with deregulation policies seen in the US and Germany, undermines multinational accountability, and ignores urgent social and ecological needs during the climate crisis.

The report identifies that between January 2024 and April 2025, twenty major banks, including nine European institutions, participated in 12 Glencore bond issuances totaling US$8 billion. These funds, intended for general corporate purposes, can support Glencore's 17 coal mining expansions across Australia, South Africa, Canada, Russia, and Kazakhstan, which contradicts IEA climate scenarios. The report argues that European banks continue this support through policy loopholes such as inadequate exclusion thresholds and restrictions that only apply to new customers or project-level financing.

Reclaim Finance reports a systemic retreat from climate goals among six major European oil and gas companies. The analysis shows a trend of reducing investments in renewables and low-carbon technologies while increasing oil and gas production targets for 2030. The document highlights that these companies are ignoring the IEA's Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario, specifically by planning new LNG export terminals and abandoning scope 3 emission targets. It concludes by calling on financial investors to oppose board re-elections and demand transparency during upcoming general assemblies at Shell and TotalEnergies.

The report argues that six major European oil and gas companies are backtracking on climate goals by reducing investments in low-carbon activities and increasing oil and gas production targets. It highlights a significant gap between these companies' strategies and the International Energy Agency's Net Zero Emissions by 2050 scenario, noting that fossil fuels still capture over 60% of planned investments. The document specifically details reductions in renewable energy targets for BP, Eni, Shell, TotalEnergies, and Equinor, while noting that none of the six companies plan to reduce fossil fuel production.

The report details Glencore's expansion of coal capacity and the role of European banks in financing these activities through bond issuances, highlighting loopholes in bank coal policies.

Reclaim Finance critiques PCAF's proposed expansion of avoided emissions reporting and the introduction of Expected Emission Reductions (EER), warning that these counterfactual-based metrics are subjective and prone to greenwashing. The briefing also highlights flaws in the 'financed emissions' formula, noting that it often fails to track real-world emissions due to its sensitivity to corporate value fluctuations. Reclaim Finance recommends that PCAF withdraw these proposed methodologies and instead adopt metrics that reflect actual counterparty performance and physical emissions intensities for target setting.

The author contends that the French government has pivoted away from the climate and social ambitions expressed by President Emmanuel Macron a year prior. The primary point of contention is the 'Omnibus' legislative proposal, which the author claims undermines the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD). The text asserts that this proposal would exclude 80% of companies from environmental information obligations and facilitate greenwashing by removing non-financial transparency indicators. Furthermore, the author criticizes the lack of public consultation and transparency regarding France's official position on these EU texts, describing the process as a democratic retreat that favors economic and financial lobbies over civil society.

Reclaim Finance is calling on ArcelorMittal shareholders to escalate engagement at the 2025 AGM by voting against management-proposed resolutions. The organization argues that the company is backtracking on climate goals, delaying direct reduced iron (DRI) projects, and allocating insufficient capital to decarbonization, with only US$0.3-0.4 billion of planned 2025 capital expenditures dedicated to such projects.

Reclaim Finance calls on ArcelorMittal shareholders to vote against routine resolutions at the May 6 general meeting, arguing that the company maintains a high dependency on coal and lacks a credible transition to cleaner production technologies.

Reclaim Finance criticizes ENGIE's 2025 climate plan for its lack of a fossil gas phase-out date and continued investment in gas infrastructure. While the company increased its 2030 renewable energy target to 95 GW, the analysis finds that ENGIE's decarbonization target of 2045 is incompatible with IEA Net Zero scenarios. The report highlights that CAPEX for fossil fuel technologies remains nearly unchanged and recommends that shareholders vote against the 'Say on Climate' presentation and the reelection of CEO Catherine MacGregor.

The analysis finds that Engie's 2025 climate plan lacks a phase-out date for fossil gas and continues gas expansion through new plants and LNG contracts. While renewable targets increased to 95 GW by 2030, the company remains on a 'well below 2°C' trajectory rather than 1.5°C, with a decarbonization goal of 2045 that contradicts IEA Net Zero scenarios. CAPEX for fossil technologies remains nearly stable, and the company's reliance on hydrogen and biomethane is viewed as a risk for perpetuating fossil systems.

Reclaim Finance disputes the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations' (CDC) justifications for its lack of transparency and argues that the CDC's shareholder engagement strategy is insufficient to stop investment in fossil fuel expansion. The document highlights a conflict between the CDC's secrecy and recommendations from the Cour des Comptes, while clarifying discrepancies in the reporting of fossil fuel exposure figures.

The Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) has voted to replace mandatory requirements for reducing client emissions with 'best practice' advice and has removed the obligation for banks to align with the 1.5°C warming limit and 2050 carbon neutrality goal. The new guidelines allow banks to align with a 'warming well below 2°C, aiming for 1.5°C' and let them choose their own target year for carbon neutrality. Reclaim Finance argues this shift ignores current climate science and suggests banks are now following existing economic emission trends rather than actively modifying them to accelerate the transition.

The Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) has voted to convert mandatory requirements for reducing client emissions into "best practice" guidance, removing the requirement for banks to set targets aligned with the 1.5°C warming limit and the 2050 net zero goal.

The Caisse des Dépôts rejects Reclaim Finance's criticisms, asserting that its investment approach balances ecological transformation with national sovereignty. It highlights a commitment to mobilize 100 billion euros for ecological and energy transformation between 2024 and 2028, while defending its decision to keep specific holdings confidential to maintain constructive shareholder dialogue. The institution disputes Reclaim Finance's estimate of its fossil fuel exposure, stating its actual exposure is below 5 billion euros and that it applies strict exclusion criteria for unconventional fossils and coal.

Reclaim Finance criticizes BPCE for its failure to implement ambitious exclusion policies for the oil and gas sector, noting that it continues to provide bond financing to major hydrocarbon developers and supports LNG expansion. The report highlights that BPCE is the only major French bank without decarbonization targets to reduce oil and gas exposure and maintains direct financing for gas fields, contrary to emerging European standards.

Reclaim Finance criticizes BPCE for its continued financial support of major oil and gas developers and LNG infrastructure, noting that the bank lacks the ambitious exclusion policies and exposure-reduction targets adopted by other major French banks.

Reclaim Finance criticizes the Net Zero Banking Alliance (NZBA) for proposing a new protocol that replaces mandatory 1.5°C alignment with a non-binding goal of limiting warming to "well below 2°C, striving for 1.5°C." The document asserts that removing the 1.5°C requirement and the 2050 net zero target is an act of irresponsibility that contradicts UN climate agreements and the IPCC's findings on the necessity of the 1.5°C limit to prevent catastrophic climate impacts. It further argues that the NZBA's justification—that the world is not on track for 1.5°C—is an excuse to avoid the financial sector's responsibility to accelerate the energy transition by reallocating capital from high- to low-polluting activities.

Reclaim Finance calls on investors to vote against strategic resolutions at 2025 annual general meetings for major oil and gas companies, arguing that traditional shareholder engagement has failed to align these firms with a 1.5°C trajectory. The document highlights that 95% of oil and gas companies continue developing new projects and that some majors, such as BP, TotalEnergies, Eni, and Equinor, are increasing production or weakening climate targets. It advocates for using opposition votes as an effective lever to signal that climate priorities must be integrated into corporate strategy.

Reclaim Finance calls on investors to shift from ineffective shareholder engagement to voting against management-proposed resolutions at 2025 AGMs for oil and gas companies. The organization highlights that 95% of upstream oil and gas companies are developing new projects despite IPCC and IEA warnings that such expansion is incompatible with a 1.5°C world. It specifically notes that majors like BP, TotalEnergies, Eni, and Equinor are backtracking on climate commitments by planning production increases. The document asserts that current collaborative initiatives, such as Climate Action 100+, have failed to align corporate strategies with 1.5°C trajectories, making strategic voting a necessary lever to signal that climate must be an integral part of corporate strategy.