On Thursday and Friday, 29-30 September, the European Association of Co-operative Banks (EACB) had the pleasure to participate in the annual “Dachverbandstagung”, gathering the managers of regional Austrian Raiffeisen Banks in Sankt Wolfgang/ Salzkammergut.
During the event, Nina Schindler, EACB Chief Executive Officer, and Johannes Rehulka, Managing Director of Fachverband der Raiffeisenbanken and Member of the EACB General Assembly, joined forces to showcase their aligned advocacy efforts towards EU Institutions with the aim to actively articulate the common concerns of Raiffeisen banks from Austrian and other European co-operative banks.
Providing an overview of the EACB mission and membership setup, as well as the co-operative banking sector within the EU with its typical structures and governance, it was an opportune moment to delve into a selection of key topics on the EU political agenda crucial to the sector, taking up the motto of the event “Nachhaltigkeit”. Specific attention was given to taxonomy, ESG risk management, de-forestation, European supply-chain legislation, and sustainability reporting.
Johannes Rehulka, Managing Director of Fachverband der Raiffeisenbanken, stated "As representatives of all co-operative Raiffeisen banks, it is extremely important for us to have reliable partners at the EU-level. The EACB is our first point of contact in Brussels, and we are extremely grateful for the daily work of Nina Schindler and her team. Our Raiffeisen banks feel that they are in good hands to be represented by the EACB.”
Nina Schindler, Chief Executive Officer of the EACB, expressed "It was an honour be at stage together with Johannes Rehulka, one of the EACB committed members’ representative, and to meet local executives from co-operative banks all over Austria at the occasion of their annual Dachberbandstagung. Gathered in the beautiful heart of Salzkammergut, one could experience a spillover of the co-operative spirit uniting the group of bankers when discussing today's business challenges around sustainable transition, embodying the co-operative values such as regionality, proximity to the customers and - instead of short-term profit maximisation - a resilient business approach with a long-term vision.”