The focus of corporate decision-makers on short-term shareholder value maximisation rather than on the long-term interests of the company reduces the long-term economic, environmental and social sustainability of European businesses. The objective of this study is to assess the root causes of “short termism” in corporate governance, discussing their relationship with current market practices and/or regulatory frameworks, and to identify possible EU-level solutions, also with a view to contributing to the attainment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the goals of the Paris Agreement on climate change. The study focuses on issues contributing to “short-termism” in company law and corporate governance, which have been grouped around seven key problem drivers, covering aspects such as directors’ duties and their enforcement, board remuneration and composition, sustainability in the business strategy, and stakeholder involvement. The study suggests that a possible future EU action in the area of company law and corporate governance should pursue the general objective of fostering more sustainable corporate governance and contributing to more accountability for companies' sustainable value creation. For this reason, for each driver, alternative options characterised by an increasing level of regulatory intervention have been assessed against the baseline scenario (no policy change).