Brussels confirms dramatic U-turn on corporate green rules
4 of 5 companies would be exempt from EU corporate sustainability reporting as part of Brussels’ anti-red tape drive.
due diligence
Brussels plans sweeping cuts to EUโs green rules, leaked bill reveals
Many businesses would be exempt from complying with sustainability reporting under the hotly anticipated omnibus proposal.
UK government rushed through vetting for top investment minister
Watchdog got just 48 hours to scrutinise tech executive Poppy Gustafsson, who made her name at Mike Lynch’s Autonomy and Darktrace firms.
Macronโs U-turn against EU green rules triggers internal revolt
The French president’s anti-regulation push has thrown his environmental legacy into doubt and angered many in his own party.
EU must propel global climate momentum to fill the gap left by Trump
Europe has the potential to play an important role, but it will have to move fast, and be smart and more united than before.
Que contient le plan de von der Leyen pour sauver lโรฉconomie europรฉenne ?
POLITICO a analysรฉ chaque ligne de la boussole pour la compรฉtitivitรฉ de Bruxelles (pour vous รฉviter dโavoir ร le faire).
European court slams Italy over mafia toxic waste dumping
The vast amount of toxic waste in the area led to increased rates of cancer, the court found.
Whereโs the Competitiveness Compass pointing?
The European Commission’s policy plans point to growth even as it tries to hold on to ambitious climate goals.
Von der Leyen builds bonfire of EUโs environmental red tape
Brussels hopes simplifying green compliance rules will boost Europe’s flagging economy. Green groups fear something more sinister.
Stop working for Russia, Britain tells its private spies
Security industry guns-for-hire are warned they could face jail time if they work for hostile states โ even accidentally.
Von der Leyen emerges from illness to join show of support for Germanyโs Merz
European Commission president is in Berlin for her first public appearance since she was admitted to hospital.
Franceโs man in Brussels touts a strategy to save Europeโs embattled industry
The European Commission’s industry chief is lining up help for energy-hungry industries, aiming to stoke demand for them via public procurement.
The finance policy battles shaping 2025
Expect a rerun of the same old fights โ from green rules to defense spending.
Qatar warns it will halt gas supplies to Europe if fined under EU due diligence law
“I’m not bluffing” in LNG threat, Qatari Energy Minister Saad Sherida al-Kaabi tells the FT.
Qatar will โstopโ EU gas sales if fined under due diligence law
Energy minister warns Doha โnot bluffingโ over hefty penalties in corporate sustainability directive
Norway oil firm sued over alleged links to Israeli firm operating in illegal settlements
Exclusive: Complaint says Equinor is unlawfully connected to Israelโs Delek Group, which has been flagged by UN human rights commissionerThe Norwegian oil company Equinor is being sued over alleged business links to the Israeli energy company Delek Gro…
EU agrees to delay anti-deforestation law by one year
But the EPP’s proposal to weaken the law failed, in a blow to the center-right group’s anti-red tape drive.
German discounters crush fresh produce prices โ and suppliers too
Banana exporters from Ecuador describe a recent Lidl offer as the โstraw that broke the camelโs back.”
Britainโs art-loving elite fumes at money laundering crackdown
Experts fear tough rules for the art world โ meant to root out criminals โย will send business to New York and Hong Kong.
EU foreign policy chief warns French energy giant on human rights violations
Josep Borrell said legislation going into effect in 2027 would require compensation to victims of abuses, after POLITICO revealed links between TotalEnergies and a massacre in Mozambique.
Ukraine rails against decision to exclude Russia from anti-money laundering blacklist
Kyiv has long campaigned for Russia to be on the Financial Action Task Force’s register.
Crisis deepens for Irelandโs scandal-hit Sinn Fรฉin
The Irish republicans had hoped to lead the next government in Dublin โ but a surge in scandals and infighting are undermining its ambitions.
Pyrrhic victory for the Greek government: the CJEU rules on Turkey as a โsafe third countryโ
Professor Steve Peers, Royal Holloway University of London
Photo credit: Mstyslav Chernov, via Wikimedia
Commons
Hamster idiom credit: Adam Sharp
(Thanks to Zoe Gardner for discussion of the case;
the following analysis is my own)
Introduc…
Delay in EU anti-deforestation enforcement leaves little time to make changes
The proposed extension of the transition period for the EU’s anti-deforestation rules has many worried that reopening the file could end up weakening some of its provisions.
Von der Leyen should focus on implementation of EU’s deforestation law, not its rollback
The EUDR requires stringent due diligence that sheds light on long supply chains that often obscure human rights violations. Voluntary pledges cannot substitute for this regulation. Luciana Tรฉllez Chรกvez writes.
So long, no thanks to all the fash: review of Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter, by Kate Conger and Ryan Mac
Professor Steve Peers, Royal Holloway University of
London
Photo credit: mikemacmarketing, image via vpnsrus
Full disclosure first: After exactly
ten and a half years, I stopped posting on X (formerly Twitter) on August 10,
2024. I cou…
European lawmakers condemn atrocities at French energy giantโs African fortress
Human rights organizations called for thorough independent investigation.
Germanyโs Scholz wants new EU anti-deforestation law delayed
German media group has been lobbying against the rules.
Why the Kremlin loves social media
This weekโs indictment of a social media content firm shows how itโs getting easier and easier for Russia to influence U.S. elections.
UK Treasury failed to tell watchdog about senior officialโs Labour donation
Former banker Ian Corfield donated thousands to politicians including Chancellor Rachel Reeves before his appointment.
German plans to downsize national supply chain rules at odds with EU law, experts warn
Germanyโs plans to reduce the scope of its national supply chain due diligence law, in line with the EU directive that will enter into force later this month, could collide with EU law, legal experts told Euractiv.
How the Tory election campaign melted down in six disastrous weeks
Rishi Sunak played a bad hand appallingly โ and paid a terrible price.
Export controls on Russia might be working better than you think
The fact Moscow is so keen to discredit export controls may well be a clue that the measures arenโt ineffective.
How Western shipping lines try to minimize disruption is of great interest to China
Beijingโs intrusion means Western shipping lines must make sure their crews arenโt just masters of the seas but also able to understand the world of state-linked espionage.
The ongoing quest for Social Europe [Promoted content]
The new impetus for Social Europe of the past five years has led to important and long-awaited policy initiatives, including on minimum wages, platform work and corporate due diligence. However, progress in this field remains both fragile and fragmente…
The new EU asylum laws, part 6: the new Dublin rules on responsibility for asylum-seekers
Professor Steve Peers,
Royal Holloway, University of London
Photo credit: Ggia, via Wikimedia Commons(last updated 10 June 2024: changed text marked by an asterisk)Just before Christmas, the
European Parliament and the Council (the EU body consi…
UK slams MEPs for saying Gibraltar is undermining Russian sanctions โ and calling it a โcolonyโ
European Parliament vetoes British territory’s removal from money-laundering watchlist amid EU-U.K. talks on its future.
UK rejects European Parliamentโs claim Gibraltar is undermining Russian sanctions
The allegation comes as MEPs vote to keep the British territory on the EU’s money-laundering watchlist, despite European Commission’s decision to remove it.
Press release – Due diligence: MEPs adopt rules for firms on human rights and environment
On Wednesday, Parliament gave a final green light to new rules obliging firms to mitigate their negative impact on human rights and the environment.Committee on Legal Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2024 – EP
Press release – Press conference: First EU due diligence rules for companies
Lead MEP Lara Wolters (S&D, NL) will brief journalists on the new rules for corporate sustainability through due diligence following the final plenary vote.Committee on Legal Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2024 – EP
โTrustedโ rules on trusted flaggers? Open issues under the Digital Services Act regime
Alessandra Fratini and Giorgia
Lo Tauro, FratiniVergano European Lawyers
Photo credit: Lobo Studio Hamburg, via Wikimedia Commons
1 Introduction
The EUโs Digital Services Act (DSA)
institutionalises
the tasks and responsibilities of โt…
EU justice chief Reynders defends EU supply chain law against German liberalsโ rebuke
German social democratic ministers for Labour, Hubertus Heil, and economic development, Svenja Schulze, have defended the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) against criticism from their coalition partner, liberal FDP.
In the fight for due diligence, multinationals didnโt get to make the law
We will continue to the bitter end of this battle, begun five years ago, to defend workers’ rights and the environment in the face of multinationals’ crimes, MEP Manon Aubry writes.
Combating abusive subcontracting practices, what more can be done? [Advocacy Lab Content]
In December 2023, a provisional agreement was reached on a corporate sustainability due diligence Directive, with a primary goal of enhancing human rights protection. This report will examine abusive subcontracting practices and explore additional meas…
The EUโs controversial business supply chain oversight rules live on โ at a cost
Capitals secured major concessions in their last-minute push against more stringent rules.
EU supply chain law ‘slashed’ by member states in last-ditch deal
Member states have formally, and finally, adopted the corporate sustainability due diligence directive โ but the landmark legislation was severely watered-down, and will not come into force for most companies until the end of the decade.
Governments support stripped-down corporate due diligence law
After weeks of uncertainty, new EU rules on sustainable supply chains seem likely to pass into law.
Scope of EU supply chain rules cut by 70% ahead of key Friday vote
The number of European companies impacted by EU corporate due diligence rules (CSDDD) has been squeezed by almost 70% of the original EU co-legislators agreed in December, according to data seen by Euractiv ahead of Friday’s (15 March) crucial vote.
Final push for the EUโs corporate due diligence law with compromises
On this episode of our daily podcast Today in the EU, weโre diving into the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Law, which is getting its final push on Friday 15th of March.
Revised due diligence law adds farmersโ protection in food chain
In a fresh nod to EU farmers who have been protesting across the bloc for weeks, the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council included a political message in support of farmers in its draft compromise on the controversial EU corporate due diligence law, se…
Florida OKs transfer of convicted murderer to Italy as Biden meets with Italian PM
Among those expressing support for the move is former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Political volte-face hits EU supply chain law amid unwavering Belgian ambition
Belgian officials started to test the water for a speedy legislative solution to save the draft EU corporate due diligence law by mid-March, Euractiv understands, after numerous member-state defections forced them to abort a closely-watched vote betwee…
EU supply chain law fails, with 14 states failing to back it
Member states failed on Wednesday to agree to the EU’s long-awaited Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence Directive, after 13 EU ambassadors declared abstention and one, Sweden, expressed opposition (there was no formal vote), EUobserver has learned.
Press release – State of play on due diligence rules: press conference today at 16.00
Lead MEP Lara Wolters (S&D, NL) will update journalists on the status of the new rules for corporate sustainability through due diligence following the Coreper vote.Committee on Legal Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2024 – EP
Ghosts of EUโs rightward future haunt nature law fightย
Europeโs conservatives lost their battle against an environmental bill. But after the EU elections, they may win the war.ย
[Opinion] For Ukraine’s sake, pass the EU due diligence directive
The EU Commission’s 2022 CSDDD proposal did not include provisions incorporating “conflict due diligence”, they were added, after the Russian invasion, by the European Parliament and Council into the final directive text โ for Ukraine’s sake, vote for …
Food corporations call for EU corporate due diligence law to be finalised
While the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is currently being blocked by Germany and Italy, high-profile food corporations are calling for its swift adoption to allow for “coherent and harmonised legislation” at EU level.
Von der Leyenโs human rights hypocrisy
The European Commission chief is emboldening oppressive leaders, in effect telling them, donโt do as I say, if I bother to mention anything, do what you want to do.
Germanyโs CDU wants to call the shots on the economy early
The German conservatives have urged Chancellor Olaf Scholz to adopt measures they hope will address the countryโs economic problems, including getting rid of the EU supply chain law known as the corporate sustainability due diligence directive.
German liberals want to renegotiate EU due diligence law, blame Spain
Germanyโs liberal FDP party wants to reopen negotiations on the EUโs Due Diligence Directive after the issue was removed from the agenda of a meeting of EU ambassadors last Friday, which the party says shows the poor quality of the preliminary agreemen…
German firm BASF to pull out of Xinjiang after Uyghur abuse claims
Chemicals producer says audits revealed no wrongdoing but recent media reports crossed red lineThe German chemicals producer BASF has said it will withdraw from its two joint ventures in Xinjiang, after media reports about alleged human rights abuses r…
German-Italian revolt delays EUโs due diligence law
The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) has been taken off the agenda of todayโs meeting of EU ambassadors, as it was not expected to reach a majority among EU countries. So far, no new date for the vote has been set.
EU supply chain law faces scrap amid German coalition row
Business and civil society groups have made a last-ditch effort to urge EU ministers not to collapse a key law on company due diligence ahead of a decisive vote on Friday.
EU supply chain law faces scrap amid German coalition row
Business and civil society groups have made a last-ditch effort to urge EU ministers not to collapse a key law on company due diligence ahead of a decisive vote on Friday.
EU slams governments for banned goods reaching Russia
There are fears that items originally from Europe are being used by Moscow on the battlefield.
Germanyโs Lindner wants to topple EU corporate due diligence law
German liberals have confirmed the abstention of the German government on the EUโs proposal for a corporate due diligence law that would see companies becoming liable for human right breaches in their supply chains.
Wouldโve, Couldโve, Shouldโve: Preliminary Reflections on the EUโs New Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive
Tara
Van Ho, Senior Lecturer in Law, University of Essex
Photo credit: Infrogmation
of New Orleans, via Wikimedia
commons
The European Unionโs Council and
Parliament have agreed to a provisional text for a new directive that …
German support for EU corporate due diligence law in doubt
Germany’s support for a law requiring firms in the European Union to take action if they find their supply chains in violation of human rights was thrown into doubt after one of its ruling parties sided with business groups opposing the proposal.
African scrambles to comply with new EU due diligence rules
The EU’s new due diligence laws, designed to address deforestation and human rights abuses in supply chains, risk having an uneven effect on African economies and farming, as governments and industry scramble to prepare compliance regimes.
Billionaire-backed think tank played key role in Bidenโs AI order
Researchers from the RAND Corporation โ which took more than $15 million this year from a group financed by a Facebook co-founder โ were a driving force behind the White Houseโs sweeping new AI reporting requirements.
German industry fumes over new EU corporate rules
The German industry blasted the agreement on the EUโs new due diligence law and warned that the new corporate rules would undermine Europeโs competitiveness and stifle its economy.
France scores diplomatic wins on banks and nuclear in new EU rules
Paris successfully pushed for weaker due diligence reporting by lenders and state-backed funding for nuclear power plants
EU Parliament and member states reach deal on corporate due diligence law
Negotiators of the European Council and Parliament agreed on Thursday (14 December) after an all-night discussion a compromise deal on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), including on the most controversial aspects of the incl…
Press release – Corporate due diligence rules agreed to safeguard human rights and environment
Parliament and Council negotiators agreed on new rules obliging firms to integrate their human rights and environmental impact into their management systems.Committee on Legal Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2023 – EP
France seeks weaker EU due diligence rules for banks
Paris pushes against lenders being held liable for clientsโ environmental or human rights shortcomings
Press release – Due diligence rules for companies: press conference on Thursday at 11.00 (TBC)
Lead MEP Lara Wolters (S&D, NL) will brief journalists on the outcome of the fifth trilogue and the possible agreement reached with member states on new rules for corporate sustainability.Committee on Legal Affairs Source : ยฉ European Union, 2023 – EP
What Christmas trees can teach us about fair supply chains [Promoted content]
In light of new supply chain laws, an effective due diligence and corporate responsibility is becoming of even greater importance for many companies. The case of Christmas trees shows which aspects are key to implementing fair supply chains.
EU ambassadors discuss possible carve-out of finance from due diligence rules
The Spanish Presidency of the EU Council is asking member states to compromise on climate and civil liability provisions in exchange for a carve-out of finance from the proposed EU corporate accountability rules, amid growing calls to include the secto…
ECB berates proposed EU bank carveout from green supply chain laws
Plans to exclude finance from EU environmental due diligence legislation arenโt going down well with supervisors in Frankfurt
Time to close the gap that allows EU companies to fuel the climate crisis
Despite years of work on the Green Deal, there are still no obligations for large companies in all sectors to actually reduce their emissions. The impending Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) offers a unique opportunity to force t…
Spanish Presidency mulls excluding finance from due diligence rules
The Spanish Presidency of the EU Council is leaning towards the exclusion of the financial sector from the EU corporate accountability rules, which are currently under inter-institutional negotiations, according to an internal document seen by Euractiv.
Incarcerated for his advocacy, this activist puts his hopes on EUโs due diligence law
As representatives of the European Parliament and EU countries negotiate the details of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) in Brussels, visiting Guatemalan human rights activist Bernardo Caal Xol has urged them to implement th…
Targeting of EU officials with Predator spyware shows need for stronger legal controls
While the EU has so far failed to take appropriate action against the most invasive forms of spyware, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) could offer a crucial opportunity for the EU to rein in the rampant human rights…
โObsoleteโ European Parliament committee structure set for shake-up
New digital, defense and enlargement committees are in the offing.
Crunchtime for the due diligence law
As the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) is being discussed between member state governments and the European Parliament, it looks like one of the most significant pieces of corporate legislation in a long time is on the line.
Ugandan activists call on EU to move forward on due diligence law
Human rights lawyer Maxwell Atuhura and environmental activist Nick Omonuk have called on EU lawmakers to decide on a strong due diligence law so that they have an avenue to justice that is barred to them in Uganda.
Council to discuss inclusion of finance under EU due diligence rules
EU countries are set to start discussions on the inclusion of the financial sector under the scope of the proposed EU corporate accountability directive, in an effort to find a negotiating mandate and strike a deal with the European Parliament.
Dรฉjร vu: Financial sector and corporate sustainability due diligence, in or out?
The EU should include financial markets in the scope of its Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) to help reorientate capital markets towards more sustainable investments while making European financial markets more consistent and re…
โHe just loves winding them upโ: Could Nigel Farage actually lead the Tories?
Britain’s Tories are sounding friendly with Brexiteer Nigel Farage. POLITICO maps an unlikely but not impossible climb to the top.
Experts concerned over EU due diligence lawโs impact on Global South
Experts have welcomed the proposed EU law to hold companies accountable for adverse impacts along their entire value chain, but have also raised concerns about the negative impacts the new due diligence rules could have on economies of the Global South.
LIVE NOW โ The EUโs directive on corporate sustainability due diligence โ Striking the right balance for business, consumers, investors?
Join this EURACTIV Hybrid Conference to discuss the implications of the corporate sustainability due diligence directive. How can clear standards help collect the most relevant data from companies? And how can harmonious processes be enforced and lead …
On shaky grounds: The secret, slipshod evidence the EU uses to sanction Russian oligarchs
Hastily compiled dossiers leave the bloc vulnerable to legal challenges.
EU countries still divided over proposed corporate accountability rules
Several EU member states have yet to decide on their position on some key aspects of the EU’s draft law to hold companies accountable for human rights and environmental violations throughout their value chain, slowing down the ongoing negotiations on t…
EU due diligence proposal raises hope for activists, worries foreign companies
While civil society organisations look at the proposed EU due diligence rules with optimism for local communities abroad, foreign companies voice concerns over the lack of harmonisation of the draft rules as well as their extraterritorial dimension.
UK banks shun companies trading with Ukraine
British companies “afraid to trade with Ukraine” due to threat of account closure from risk-averse banks, business chiefs warn.
The hunt for Russiaโs secret ships
Turkeyโs strategic straits are a trade superhighway โ and a lifeline for the Kremlinโs war machine.
EUโs hopes to make trade more sustainable, diversified before 2024
With the 2024 European elections and the reorganisation of European Commission jobs looming, Brussels must hurry to conclude crucial negotiations on sustainable and diversified EU trade by the end of 2023.
Brazilโs Lula pushes end to deforestation, stumbles on fossil fuels
Summit will be a major political and diplomatic test for the Brazilian leader.
9 ways Dutch political paralysis hits the EU
Political limbo likely to hold back the Netherlands’ influence on key files in Brussels.
Nigel Farage, the โdisingenuous grifterโ
The former politician has conflated two different issues: British banksโ overzealous interpretation of anti-money laundering regulations and Coutts simply not wanting him as a customer.