The NGOs are stirred against the EU plan to compete against the US and China for “weakening” sustainability norms

Civil society organizations are making alarms on the plan that Ursula von der Leyen is elaborating with the aim of strengthening EU’s competitiveness in front of the US and China. The ‘Competitiveness Compass “that the president of the European Commission presented last week, which obviates the key issue of financing, has as its first milest Companies operating on community soil.

The NGOs have been scrambled against the proposal because they consider that it will mean a deregulation, that is, take steps back in some of the laws that were approved the last legislature regarding sustainability (green agenda or compliance with human and social rights). “We are deeply concerned about the current orientation of the European Commission’s policies, in particular for the introduction of measures that can weaken or undermine the previously agreed legislation, crucial for the EU sustainability objectives,” they point out in a letter sent to Von der Leyen, the executive vice president, Stephane Sejourné, and the Economy Commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis.

Although Von der Leyen reiterated his commitment to the green agenda at a time when he has put himself at risk for economic and electoral interests, he also opened the door to lower expectations during the presentation of his ‘roadmap’. “We have to be flexible and pragmatic,” he said at a press conference in which he assured that the simplification process would mean savings of 37,500 million euros.

After the presentation of the document, the president of the Social Democrats, Iratxe García, who are the second largest group of the ‘coalition’ that governs the EU, was very critical of the approach. “It does not fully address most problems, nor does it provide realistic solutions. We host with satisfaction the commitment to maintain the reduction objectives of 90 % of the net greenhouse gas emissions by 2040; However, we have no guarantees that it is not going to go back in environmental and social norms such as workers’ rights, climate neutrality, sustainability, a fair transition and, in particular, the other objectives that underlie the green pact. Reducing the rules in our sole EU market that can compromise people’s quality of life is not the way that the EU becomes a model to follow in the world, ”he said in a statement.

Among the initiatives that NGOs alert to be decaffeinating is the due diligence directive, which imposes on multinational obligations regarding compliance with human and environmental rights. “We believe that such a measure could create normative uncertainty, jeopard They have already invested significantly in compliance and erode EU’s pioneering leadership in business sustainability standards, ”they point out the hundred organizations that sustain the letter.

“We reaffirm our firm support to focus on the effective application of laws through new interpretive measures and orientations, as planned and agreed. We understand that both companies and interested parties need more clarifications about the key provisions of the standards, and we remain committed to working on it both through the planned application phases and the expected orientations, even with national supervisors, governments, governments And international platforms, ”they add.

After a meeting with the European Commission in which there was a broad business representation against civil society, as they have denounced, they have risen from the table with concern about the way in which the community government is addressing the proposal that it will present In the coming weeks. Among the warnings they have launched, for example, is the fact that an impact analysis of the measures that are being raised is not being prepared.

“The Commission seems willing to endanger community collection in regards to workers’ rights, the environment and, in particular, at the beginning of caution. Everything seems to be on the table to be reopened and what we have faced is even companies that do not recognize their obligations with human rights and ask for reopening, saying that they are suffocated. The reason we have due diligence is exactly to prevent these companies from complying with European values ​​and avoiding labor exploitation, ”said Isabelle Schömann, deputy secretary general of the Confederation of ETUC Trade Unions, which was one of the two organizations of workers represented at the round table.