This afternoon, the legal affairs committee (JURI), adopted the so-called Sustainability Omnibus package I, which includes the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) legislation by rapporteur Jörgen Warborn (EPP, SE).
After tough negotiations with the EPP’s rapporteur, the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament decided to support this compromise text, for the sake of securing slight improvements to the Commission’s initial proposal and avoiding a potential agreement between the EPP and the far right.
Ana Catarina Mendes, S&D vice-president, said:
“These have been very tough and demanding negotiations, namely due to the reluctance of the EPP rapporteur to engage and find a more balanced approach, playing both sides against each other. Nevertheless, the compromise text voted today ensures some gains that slightly improve the Commission’s already weak initial proposal. As we did not want to create uncertainty for those companies that are already working hard to comply with EU laws by blocking negotiations, we decided to act responsibly by supporting this compromise and move forward. The S&Ds fought for months to reach a better compromise agreement, and we expect to improve the text during the upcoming trilogues.”
René Repasi, S&D JURI committee coordinator said:
“At today’s meeting of the legal affairs committee, we voted in favour of the platform agreement on the Sustainability Omnibus. Our group has been at the forefront of the adoption of the CSDDD, thanks to the tireless efforts and commitment of members of our group and civil society. The aim has always been to establish clear obligations for those responsible for harm, and ensure accountability for those that profit from it. Today’s decision was therefore a particularly difficult one, but it reflects our commitment to fairer supply chains, as it is our responsibility to prevent the total dismantling of the law through open cooperation with the far right.”
Next steps: On Monday, 20 October, the decision of the legal affairs committee to enter into interinstitutional negotiations will be announced and if challenged, pursuant to Rule 72 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, will be put to vote in the same session.
