EU: companies' duty of vigilance at an impasse

In mid-December, the European Parliament and the Council (the twenty-seven states of the European Union) reached an agreement to impose a duty of vigilance on companies. For their products to have access to European markets, all companies will have to respect social, environmental and human rights obligations, this is the idea behind this legislation. It was designed for large companies, but, for several sectors, it must apply from 40 million euros in turnover and 250 employees. The text was even described

 as “historic

 ” by its signatories because it makes companies responsible towards their subcontractors outside Europe. Unfortunately, the text is blocked because the Twenty-Seven cannot find a majority to approve it.

The position taken by its liberal FDP allies prompted the German Foreign Minister to react: “We have a responsibility in Europe. If we don’t keep our word, we won’t be trusted anymore,” said Annalena Baerbock (our photo). REUTERS - ANNEGRET HILSE

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A sizable grain of sand has slipped into the workings of the European decision on the duty of vigilance to be imposed on EU companies

,

says our correspondent in Brussels,

Pierre Benazet

. This directive having already been the subject of a political agreement with the Parliament and the Commission, the Twenty-Seven only had to give their approval, which is normally a formality.

Fear of rejection

But in the end, the text was not even submitted to the vote of the twenty-seven ambassadors for fear of rejection due to four countries including Italy and especially

Germany

. Because this text must be adopted by qualified majority: to obtain it, you must bring together 55% of the member countries which must represent 65% of the population. However, the ruling coalition in Berlin is divided because the liberals of the FDP reject the European directive.

According to German liberals it is unacceptable for small and medium-sized businesses. This abstention is all the more embarrassing given that Germany was the first to include the duty of vigilance in the priorities of its European presidency four years ago. This text aims to make companies responsible for all illegal practices of their subcontractors wherever they are across the world, from child labor to forced labor, including deforestation or pollution.

“ 

We will no longer be trusted

 ”

“German vote”, understand “the German vote”. Or rather German abstention. In the Brussels "landerneau", this is how we describe Berlin's non-position when the members of the ruling coalition have divergent points of view and are unable to agree, explains our correspondent in Berlin,

Pascal Thibaut

. 

The first power in the EU without a voice or playing the weather vane, this does not strengthen the image of Berlin in Brussels. The German Minister of Foreign Affairs, the ecologist Annalena Baerbock, condemns the position taken by her liberal allies: “

 We have a responsibility in Europe. If we don’t keep our word, we won’t be trusted anymore 

.” 

Read alsoClimate: the European Commission wants to reduce CO2 emissions by 90% by 2040

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