These are decisions made under pressure from industrialists, Paris and Berlin but to the chagrin of NGOs. The European Union (EU) proposed on Wednesday, February 26, a vast plan for simplification and reduction of certain social and environmental standards this Wednesday, February 26. The goal? Give companies a little air in a particular international context and thus get rid of “excesses of formalities and the administrative burden,” said the president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday before industrialists gathered in Antwerp.
The head of the European executive had placed the fight against climate change at the heart of his first mandate. The European Union had thus chosen to mobilize companies through a regulatory arsenal, the Green Deal. But, faced with the risk of a trade war with the United States of Donald Trump, who threatens to impose new customs duties on the old continent, the EU now turns closely to businesses … even if it means putting A brake on some of his climate projects.
The revision of “duty of vigilance”
In its so -called “omnibus” directive (Editor’s note: a European legislative initiative bringing together several modifications or revisions of existing texts under a single proposal), the European Commission proposes the modification of several very ambitious texts, some of which were adopted there are barely a few months. Concretely, the European executive thus wishes the postponement of one year and the revision of the “duty of vigilance” imposed on manufacturers, CS3D directive. This text required companies they warn and remedy human rights violations and environmental damage throughout their value chain, including their suppliers and subcontractors. The French Banking Federation (FBF) asked on Monday the suspension of this directive, considering unjustified the particular attention paid by it to financial institutions and deploring the legal responsibility induced by this text.
The European executive also wishes to reduce the number of companies having to comply with a kind of green accounting, through an annual extra-financial report detailed by their environmental, social and governance impacts. This is the “reporting” directive of busy businesses (CSRD). This “reporting” obligation would only apply to companies employing more than 1000 people (instead of 250) and achieving net turnover greater than 450 million euros, which would clearly reduce the field, noted Les Echos. The purpose of this rule was to harmonize the way in which companies publish their “sustainability” data, but it was very criticized by employers’ lobbies.
“The world has completely changed”
The legislative journey linked to the revision of these texts will begin. This revision will be subject to the approval of the European Parliament and the Member States. In Parliament, the battle promises to be “very difficult”, predicted the centrist Marie-Pierre Vedrenne to AFP. Illustration of the turn taken by Brussels, the French European deputy supported the texts a few months ago, which she wants to modify today.
“It is true that as much as possible, when you worked for five years on a file, it is not very easy to say that you were wrong,” she says. “But I think the world has completely changed since,” said the member. Among other things, it evokes geopolitical tensions and the push of the right and the extreme right in the last European elections.
By making these decisions, Europe shows that it “knows how to reform”, argues the European Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné. “Without a chainsaw but with competent men and women, who listen to economic actors,” said the former Minister of Europe and French Foreign Affairs, in the blink of an eye to Elon Musk and the Argentinian president Javier Milei.
“It’s pure delirium”
The left deplores these decisions. In a letter published last week, the socialists urged the European Commission to “review” its copy. “My fear is that the solution of simplification is a bit of that of ease,” said the European deputy and economist Aurore Lalucq (socialist and democrat group) in our columns. According to the president of the economic commission in the European Parliament, “it is not the abolition or the grooming of certain regulations such as the CSRD and that on the duty of vigilance ‘which will suddenly protect us and protect our Companies if ever, China decides to flood the European Chinese car market. “
Environmental NGOs are standing against the questioning of these directives. “It’s pure delirium”, denounces to AFP Amandine van den Berghe, of the NGO CLIENTTH. “Changing the course now would greatly penalize large companies that have embarked on the path of sustainable development and which have started to invest money and resources to comply with the legislation,” she said.
Europe retorts that it does not intend to question the fight against climate change, or even its objective of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. “Our climatic and social objectives remain unchanged,” said this Wednesday Ursula von der Leyen. This is why the EU also unveils its strategy this Wednesday to support the decarbonation of European industry, called “Pact for its own industry”. In this document of twenty pages are few encrypted proposals. However, it includes a string of incentives to invest in clean energy, with emphasis on “made in Europe”.