Eurosif, the European umbrella organisation of national Social Investment Forums, was established in November 2001, with one of its founding members being Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen, which is active in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In April 2002, Forum Nachhaltige Geldanlagen and Eurosif held a joint conference titled "Sustainable funds – A challenge or an opportunity for national politics?" in Frankfurt am Main.
adelphi came up with the concept for the conference and was responsible for organising the event. It focussed on significant legislative action being taken in various EU states, such as socio-environmental reporting commitments in the field of retirement provision, and the question of whether such approaches could be adopted in Germany.