18 December 2015 – The European Investors’ Association (“European Investors”) aims to be the voice of all retail investors in Europe. European Investors will engage in EU policy-making processes and defend the rights of retail investors in court proceedings. Its primary goal is to strengthen the representation of retail investors and their interests in Europe.
European Investors was set up in July 2015 by the Dutch Investors’ Association VEB and the European Financial Education Foundation (EFEF). Today marks the official launch of this new initiative.
Retail investors heard
It is most important that the interests of the people who use investment services and products are properly served by the CMU initiative and the Green Paper on Retail Financial Services and Insurance. A truly European representative that can provide valuable input from a retail investors’ perspective is therefore urgently needed in EU policy debates.
European Investors aims to be the voice of all retail investors in Europe. It offers policy-makers direct contact with retail investors who are greatly affected by EU legislation but are often not in a position to exercise any real influence over its making.
“European Investors is a fully independent representative body that has the interests of retail investors at heart and receives no financial support from public bodies,” says Paul Koster, Chairman of European Investors.
Collective redress
European Investors will also coordinate and initiate legal proceedings when retail investors incur losses on their investments, for example, due to fraud, deceit or gross negligence on the part of managers, supervisory directors, listed companies, auditors and banks.
“Over the past years, investors have suffered losses amounting to billions as a direct result of abusive practices on the financial markets. Investors not only deserve compensation but collective redress is also about justice and is important in creating trust in those financial markets,” says Paul Koster.
As shown by the recent Volkswagen scandal, misconduct on the part of companies, regardless of where they may be listed in Europe, affects investors throughout the continent. European Investors aims to unite these investors in their quest for justice and compensation for their losses.
Membership and partnership
Membership of European Investors is open to individuals who are retail investors from all over Europe, as well as organisations that represent the interests of retail investors. European Investors will also enter into partnerships with other organisations that support its mission.
For further information, please visit our website or contact us by e-mail at: info@europeaninvestors.eu. For media enquiries, please contact Niels Lemmers at: niels.lemmers@europeaninvestors.eu or Paul Coenen at: paul.coenen@europeaninvestors.eu.