We, the undersigned civil society organisations and trade unions, welcome the European Commission’s legislative proposal for a directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence. We believe that this is an essential and long-awaited step toward corporate accountability, responsible business conduct and access to justice.
However, it is now urgent to address significant flaws that risk preventing the directive from achieving the positive impact that people, planet and climate urgently need, and that EU citizens, workers and communities affected by corporate abuses worldwide have vocally and publicly demanded. Therefore, we call upon the European Parliament and EU Member States to improve the proposal where it is lacking, in a gender-responsive manner, whilst building on its key positive elements. This is necessary in order to ensure that the law will effectively prevent corporate harm to human rights, the environment and climate; as well as ensure that victims of corporate abuse have access to effective remedies. We have outlined our collective views on how to achieve these improvements.
Read the full statement here.