The planned EU supply chain law still does not find a sufficient majority among the member states. This was announced by the Belgian Council Presidency. “We must now examine the state of play and see whether it is possible to address the concerns raised by Member States in consultation with the European Parliament.” This means it remains unclear whether the project needs to be renegotiated again, although there was actually already a compromise between negotiators from the two institutions in December.
Germany abstained from voting in the Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Member States on Wednesday. In the committee that seems like a no vote. In the federal government, the FDP urged that Germany not agree. The Liberals fear, for example, that companies will withdraw from Europe for fear of bureaucracy and legal risks. Politicians from the SPD and the Greens, however, support the project. The disagreements led to an open exchange of blows in the traffic light coalition.
The law is intended to hold large companies accountable if they profit from child or forced labor outside the EU. Larger companies must also create a plan to ensure their business model and strategy are compatible with the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Germany already has a supply chain law. The planned EU version would go beyond its specifications. At EU level, it is stipulated that companies are liable for breaches of duty of care, which is excluded under German law. In addition, more companies should have been affected by the EU regulation than by the German law.