Last December, Member States and the European Parliament reached an essential agreement on the future directive on the duty of vigilance. But this compromise is now in jeopardy: following pressure from corporate lobbies, several Member States, including Germany, are threatening to block the text when the Council of the European Union votes tomorrow.
Almost 4 years after the European Commission announced its proposal for a directive, and following the conclusion of the trialogues in December, the vote scheduled in the Council to validate the text prior to its adoption by Parliament should have been no more than a formality.
But this formality has become a sword of Damocles, making final adoption of the directive uncertain due to differences within the German government, which could lead the country to abstain from the vote. In such a case, the position of the other Member States would be decisive.
Although largely weakened under pressure from financial lobbies, this text nonetheless represents a major step for the regulation of multinational companies in many Member States. It is therefore crucial that France fully support it. French government must now intervene at the highest level with all its European partners to ensure its adoption.
The directive was originally called for in 2022 by French President, Emmanuel Macron, following a resolution unanimously adopted by the French National Assembly. The agreement reached in December 2023 was also celebrated by the presidential majority, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, recently pledged to have it adopted as proposed.
Now that a compromise has been reached, failing at this stage, on the eve of the European elections, would make the future of this text highly uncertain. It would be a disaster for European democracy, for the people and communities affected by the activities of multinationals, and for the planet.
Press release from:
Sherpa, ActionAid France, Friends of the Earth France, CCFD-Terre Solidaire, Notre Affaire à Tous, Oxfam France and Reclaim Finance.
Members of the Forum Citoyen pour la RSE (Citizen Forum for CSR)
For more information: presse@asso-sherpa.org
