|
|
Under the rules, which are awaiting final approval from the European Parliament, pension funds and other institutional investors must report regularly on their engagement with the companies in which they invest.
They must also report regularly on fund manager remuneration, incentives and portfolio turnover costs.
David Everett, partner at LCP, said the “potentially onerous” rules may not be enforced in the UK, with the British government poised to start official EU exit negotiations in March
“Whether this directive will find its way into UK law could all be down to timing,” Everett said.
“Right now, it is more than possible it will not become EU law until after the government fires the Article 50 starting-gun for Brexit. If this proves to be the case, then it would seem this will be one of the first EU directives the UK can ignore.”
The Financial Reporting Council (FRC), which had significant input into the UK’s response to the directive’s consultation process, said in a recent report it was “unclear how the UK may be affected by ongoing regulatory changes”.
However, when referring specifically to the Shareholder Rights Directive, the FRC praised European lawmakers for retaining a ‘comply or explain’ approach used widely in the UK.
Earlier this month, the Financial Inclusion Centre, a think-tank, warned that asset managers might try to resist new rules from the UK’s regulator by citing Brexit-related uncertainty.