The traffic light coalition has its next internal dispute. This time it's about the EU's desired supply chain law. Annalena Baerbock complains about the FDP.
Berlin – The traffic light coalition seems to be lurching from one internal crisis to the next in recent months. The latest bone of contention: the EU supply chain law. The SPD and the Greens are angry with the FDP.
Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil announced on Tuesday that Germany would not agree to the planned law. He blamed the FDP for this. Heil criticized him and accused his coalition partner of an “ideologically motivated blockade” in making compromises and solutions until the end, but the Free Democrats were not prepared to go along with this solution.
Traffic light dispute over EU law: Baerbock rails against the FDP
In the dispute, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) has also sharply criticized the FDP. Baerbock said on Wednesday in Berlin: “Europe must be able to rely on Germany – especially in these times.” Germany’s voice in the EU has weight. “If we break our word once given in Brussels, we lose trust. The fact that Germany is now abstaining from the last few meters despite earlier approval of the supply chain law is damaging our reliability as a partner and our weight in Europe.”
In contrast to the SPD and the Greens, Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (both FDP) had long signaled opposition to the law because they feared disadvantages for the German economy.
Traffic lights in the clinch over the supply chain law: back and forth? The FDP has been signaling resistance for a long time
Baerbock said: “We cannot afford such back and forth again, which lacks respect among EU member states and towards the European Parliament.” It is also important from an economic policy point of view that there is not only a national supply chain law, but also also a European one.
The 27 EU states and the European Parliament had already agreed on the supply chain directive in mid-December. It tightens some points of a German law that has been in force since the beginning of 2023. The EU requirement should already apply to companies with 500 employees, while the German one only applies to companies with 1,000 employees.
The aim is for companies of this size to identify the negative effects of their activities on human rights and the environment in the future and to remedy the consequences. They are also obliged to monitor compliance with environmental and social standards at partner companies in third countries. Otherwise there will be penalties. Large companies should be held accountable if they profit from child or forced labor outside the EU. However, a German abstention could cause the entire set of regulations to fail because the necessary majority in Brussels is in jeopardy. (rist/dpa/afp)
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