Responding to the Commission’s decision to delay legislative proposals on corporate due diligence for a third time, S&D Group members put out the following statement:

“Today marks a sad day: the day on which the European Commission was due to publish its proposal for a directive on Sustainable Corporate Governance. Instead, the proposal has been delayed for a third time, in a process that lacks transparency.

In a ceremony hosted by MEP Franc Bogovič in Brussels, the VIII edition of the European Bee Award acknowledges the great commitment of private and public organisations, as well as the involvement of the research community, to enhance pollinators’ wellbeing and support bee-friendly farming practices in Europe.

BRUSSELS, 8 DECEMBER 2021 — 

Reacting to the failure of finance ministers to adopt a much needed reform of the seriously out-dated 1997 Code of Conduct for business taxation at today’s Council meeting, due to the blockage by some countries, the Socialists and Democrats reiterate their call to abandon unanimity voting on tax issues. The Code of Conduct is the EU’s main tool to combat tax evasion and avoidance.

Tomorrow, the Commission is set to adopt a proposal on improving the working conditions in platform work, acting on a European Parliament own-initiative report adopted on September 16, 2021. The Socialists and Democrats Group have been the driving force to enshrine a rebuttable assumption of an employment relationship in EU law. This means platform workers are in principle employees with all applicable rights in terms of pay, income taxes, social protection and health and safety protection, unionisation and collective bargaining.

The Conference on the Future of Europe is key to unlocking the way for a much needed reform of the European Union, starting from the very need to strengthen the quality and quantity of European democracy. A stronger EU is the solution. The Covid-19 crisis with the consequent Next Generation EU have only increased this awareness.