
The Committee on Legal Affairs of the European Parliament adopts improvements on the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.
Today the Legal Affairs Committee of the European Parliament has voted in favour of a set of compromise amendments to the Commission’s Draft Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). The Committee’s position was adopted with a strong majority of 19 to 3 votes. The compromises further strengthen the risk-based approach to due diligence compared to the Commission’s proposal and the Council’s General Approach. In addition, they align the duty to conduct due diligence and stakeholder consultation closer with the international standards laid down in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Overall, the text adopted today is a step in the right direction. However, several elements have been watered down during the negotiations.
A Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence could represent a landmark step forward in ensuring the contribution of business to a green and just transition to a net-zero economy and minimising negative impacts of businesses on workers, communities and the environment in global value chains. The set of compromise amendments adopted today still has to be voted on in the plenary of the European Parliament at the end of May. Afterwards, the three co-legislators - the Parliament, the Commission and the Council - will enter into Trilogues to agree on the final shape of the directive. Frank Bold calls on all Members of Parliament to vote in favour of the JURI proposal.
For a more detailed overview of our recommendations and priorities on the CSDDD, please refer to our April 2023 position:
As the EU navigates a critical period for its economic and environmental future, recent developments expose a troubling disconnect between political promises and policy action. What should we expect from our elected leaders when the foundations of sustainable competitiveness are being dismantled?
This legal briefing provides a detailed overview of the purpose, requirements, timeline, and most importantly, key interactions between different sustainability laws that will apply to companies operating in the European Union.
Speech by Filip Gregor at the public hearing on Reporting Obligations, held by the European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs on 13th May 2025