“A push from the French and Italian governments to reduce the number of companies covered by the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) would allow major airports, ports and airlines to escape their climate commitments”, according to a new analysis by the NGO Global Witness, published on Monday 17 February.
The two governments are reportedly planning to exclude more than two-thirds of the companies currently covered by the directive at European level (see EUROPE 13562/11; 13574/4). Their proposal would apply to European companies employing at least 5,000 people and generating an annual turnover of €1.5 billion worldwide, as well as to non-European companies generating at least €1.5 billion in the EU, i.e. less than 10% of the companies initially covered by the text.
This would mean that the CSDDD would no longer apply to some of the EU’s largest airports, including Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, Berlin Brandenburg Airport and Vienna International Airport. Similarly, Europe’s three largest ports, Rotterdam, Hamburg and Antwerp, would also be excluded. Major airlines such as Aegean, Air Baltic, ITA Airways and LOT would also be withdrawn from the list. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)