Today, pro-European forces – the European People’s Party, S&D Group, Renew Europe and the Greens – have laid the foundations for long-lasting cooperation to ensure democratic stability and predictability for our citizens and businesses.

After days of negotiations, the Socialists and Democrats reached an agreement, together with the other groups of the pro-European majority in the European Parliament, to work jointly on the Omnibus package, in which they commit to cross-party cooperation to deliver for the common good of our citizens, our businesses and our planet.

Following the agreement, the S&Ds voted in favour of the so-called “stop-the-clock”, to add legal certainty for the implementation of EU flagship laws aiming to improve people’s lives, due diligence and corporate reporting requirements. We will now hold the EPP accountable for its commitments, ensuring that simplification does not come at the expense of sustainability standards, and that pro-EU forces will seek a compromise to strike this crucial balance.

Gaby Bischoff, vice-president of the S&D Group for sustainable economy, social Europe and single market and S&D co-negotiator on the package, said:

“During the last days, we have been working with our counterparts from the EPP, Renew and the Greens to reach an agreement favouring trustworthy negotiations at all moments in the negotiations of the Omnibus package. Part of the agreement is that the spirit and the objectives of the legislations on due diligence and sustainability reporting will remain.

“But today’s agreement goes beyond that. It proves that we can build stability in the Parliament – also in the future.

“Our Group has always been open to working with a reliable majority of pro-European parties to improve EU laws and make sure that the rules they establish are simple and enforceable in an effective way. Those rules are there to ensure that ethical business practices respect workers’ and consumers’ rights and prevent environmental damage. Today, we laid the first stones for a concrete cooperation at the centre of the Parliament to ensure stability and legal certainty for the negotiations on this package and beyond for the whole mandate.”

Lara Wolters, S&D MEP and S&D co-negotiator on the package, said:

“Child labour, forced labour and rainforest degradation are irresponsible business practices that still happen in today’s world. We cannot simply turn a blind eye to this reality.

“We are ready to continue negotiating with pro-European forces during the legislative process, with the clear stance that simplification cannot come at the cost of people and planet. We are proud to have been the driving-force behind these standards and will continue to defend them, in the name of all victims who still await justice for the corporate abuse they have suffered.  

“With the postponement of the implementation of due diligence and corporate reporting requirements, we must now take the time to reflect and work on legislation that delivers simpler procedures and reporting for businesses, while protecting the dignity of the most vulnerable and ensuring the protection of our environment.

“The Parliament must succeed where the Commission has failed: to simplify laws, without sabotaging them.”

Notes to editors

On 26 February, the European Commission made public its proposals on the “Omnibus package”. The package refers to four key files: the Taxonomy regulation; the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM); the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

The so-called “stop-the-clock” vote aims at changing the application dates of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).