Meeting in Strasbourg on Wednesday 22 October, MEPs refused to open negotiations with the Council on the ‘omnibus’ simplification text relating to the CSRD and CSDDD Directives on corporate sustainability and due diligence. They thus rejected (318 votes against, 309 in favour and 34 abstentions) the compromise reached in the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs on 13 October (see EUROPE 13729/18). A vote will therefore take place on 13 November on the whole of the report by Jörgen Warborn (EPP, Swedish), at the plenary session in Brussels.
The vote on Wednesday 22 October was held in secret at the request of the PfE, ECR and ESN groups. However, according to the rapporteur for the text, 31 S&D members voted against, despite the participation of the Socialists and Democrats in the compromise put to the vote.
“The S&D must now clarify how they perceive this result and how they see their relationship with the ‘platform’ parties”, said Jörgen Warborn, referring to the so-called ‘von der Leyen majority’ groups, made up of the EPP, the S&D, Renew Europe and the Greens/EFA, depending on the file.
He stressed that an alternative had been possible in recent weeks on this ‘omnibus’, between the EPP, PfE and ECR groups. “The EPP showed a lot of flexibility in the process in order to be together with the ‘platform’ parties”.
For the MEPs from the Greens/EFA and The Left groups, as well as the S&D group which voted against, it will be a question of going back over some of the compromise’s simplification measures, which they feel go too far, with the removal of civil liability in the CSDDD Directive being at the heart of the problem.
“The Greens/EFA are ready to resume negotiations in a constructive spirit”, said the shadow rapporteur, Kira Peter-Hansen (Greens/EFA, Danish).
On the other hand, for MEPs on the right and far right of the Chamber, who rejected the negotiating mandate, the aim is to go further in terms of simplification and, for example, to abolish the mandatory climate transition plan for companies in the CSDDD Directive.
It is now up to the groups of the so-called ‘platform’ to confirm their full support for the compromise reached. If this is not the case, amendments further simplifying the Directives could be adopted thanks to the votes of the EPP, PfE and ECR groups. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)