On Thursday 1 June, the European Parliament will vote on the report by Lara Wolters (S&D, Dutch) on the draft directive on European companies' due diligence (CSDD) (see EUROPE 13169/16).
Prior to a debate on this text in the Chamber on Wednesday 31 May, MEPs debated the tenth anniversary of the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh, which housed a textile factory (see EUROPE 10839/33). The accident on 24 April 2013, which killed more than 1,100 people and injured 2,500, was “a wake-up call for the Western world”, the President of the Parliament, Roberta Metsola, recalled.
“Although there have been improvements, little has changed”, said Barry Andrews (Renew Europe, Irish). “Many companies still turn a blind eye or simply refuse to look after their workers and the environment”.
Several MEPs stressed that this type of accident in the textile industry was still happening all over the world, and that the workers in the most precarious situations were mainly young women and children.
“The responsibility of Europe’s major companies and importers requires us to pass legislation on due diligence. We will not allow some of the Liberals to sit on the good compromise found at”, denounced Saskia Bricmont (Greens/EFA, Belgian).
Although the Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) approved the draft report and its compromise amendments on 25 April, several MEPs from the EPP, Renew Europe, ECR and ID groups tabled amendments before the plenary vote that call into question essential parts of the text.
The EPP shadow rapporteur, Axel Voss from Germany, supports the compromise reached in the JURI committee. The latter negotiated in good faith, according to Lara Wolters. “He has been under pressure from certain colleagues who are behaving disgracefully. It is a minority of the European Parliament that is turning towards extreme positions”, she nevertheless denounced in front of the press on Tuesday 30 May.
This is a very political topic, even in the EPP”, admitted Axel Voss in the Chamber on Wednesday. This is why it hasn't been straightforward for us”. He himself would have liked a slightly different report, but he feels that the compromise reached provides a good basis on which to work. “We may be able to obtain improvements during the trilogues to reduce the administrative burden”, on businesses, he concluded.
Most of the MEPs who took part in the debate called for support for the text passed by the JURI Committee.
The authors of the last-minute amendments wish to revisit the scope of the directive, i.e. the type of companies concerned according to their size, but also the obligations in terms of climate transition, the definition of a ‘value chain’ and the degree of responsibility of companies.
“Uncertainties remain as to the extent of the ecological obligations to be implemented or the disproportionate nature of the supply chain to be taken into account. This does not provide companies with an acceptable level of legal certainty”, said Gilles Lebreton (ID, French).
Asked about the possible outcome of the plenary vote, Lara Wolters was confident. “The EPP would need its entire group and a majority at Renew Europe. It doesn’t seem very likely, although it could happen. For the moment, I’m confident”, she said. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal with Pauline Denys)