Sustainable development is a major challenge of our times. The conditions necessary for sustainable transformation cut across all economic entities and sectors that operate on macro- and micro-economic scales, both nationally and internationally. The subject of sustainability has been represented in the public space for years, but there are few studies available on the practical implementation of the related goals and most publications focus on the issues of “green” finance and the environment. A particularly large information gap relates to the role of sustainable finance in achieving sustainable development, which has been underestimated for years. This book characterizes and evaluates how stock markets operate in European Union (EU) countries in terms of the sustainable development of public companies.

The book addresses two key research areas. Firstly, it provides an analysis of the legal and institutional environment of the EU stock markets in the sustainable reconstruction of the European economy and secondly, it assesses the conditions for EU public companies to implement environmental, social, and governance (ESG) non-financial reporting requirements, and how the ESG indicators, based on these, function. The book presents the methodology for constructing ESG indicators, with particular emphasis on Refinitiv, which is one of the largest databases in this area and the most recognizable on a global scale.

The book is a valuable source of knowledge on the conditions and consequences of changes in the financial markets, especially the stock markets and is addressed primarily to the academic community but may also be informative, engaging, and useful for various stakeholders in the business sector, including enterprises, institutional and individual investors, and financial institutions.