Today, the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament are publishing a questionnaire asking experts how to improve the Commission's proposal on the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) legislation.
With this call for expertise, the S&Ds want to ensure that – this time – the reforms made to our legislation do consider all those who contribute to implementing our laws such as SMEs, companies, NGOs, etc. and not only that of a handful of large multinationals.
How can reporting obligations be modified to avoid over-compliance? How could SMEs be better supported? How can digitisation and digital tools help in simplifying rules? These are some of the questions our Group is asking to those who are implementing this legislation.
Ana Catarina Mendes, S&D vice-president for Strong Democracy and Rule of Law, said:
“We deeply regret that the Commission’s ‘Simplification Omnibus’ on sustainability instead of making things easier, it is putting our EU values at risk, by undermining human rights and the protection of our environment in the name of supposed simplification, as well as by creating legal uncertainty which impacts those companies already working hard to comply with EU laws.
“The due diligence and sustainable reporting directives are there to make sure that ethical business practices respect workers’ rights and prevent environmental damage. They deserve our full commitment. This is why, last April, we committed to working with a reliable majority of pro-European parties to improve EU laws and make sure that the rules they establish are simple and enforceable in an effective way by EU companies.
“Today, we go one step further by playing an active role in ensuring that future laws protecting the rights of the most vulnerable are shaped with the support of those with most experience and knowledge on the ground.”
Lara Wolters, S&D Shadow rapporteur on the CSRD and CSDDD, said:
“We cannot accept a proposal based on the interests of a handful of multinationals after closed-door discussions. As legislators, it is our duty to ensure that the decisions we make in this House, are not decisions made lightly but ones which represent the reality on the ground. The due diligence and sustainability reporting directives are pieces of legislation we fought hard for during the previous term. We scrutinised, debated and voted on every single amendment adopted over more than two years.
“Done right, simplification can help companies focus on making real impact by making processes faster, cheaper and more efficient. However, that is not what the Commission delivered a couple of months ago, after skipping the usual public consultation in a hundred-day rush to put forward this proposal.
“The S&Ds have been always clear: the Omnibus Package cannot be a mere excuse to dismantle EU laws in the name of simplification. In the upcoming weeks, we will show that we can make changes to deliver common-sense simplification without undermining human rights or damaging our environment.”
Notes to editors
The questionnaire is open from Monday 2 June to Thursday 12 June at 18:00.
The input received from this stakeholders' consultation will help shape the amendments put forward by the S&Ds in the JURI Committee on 22 June.
