Four months after the announcement of a political agreement by negotiators from the European Parliament and the Council of the EU, and after a severe reduction of the number of companies covered last March, the EP gave today its final approval to CSDDD.
Members of the Parliament showed strong support for the proposal, with 374 votes in favour, 235 votes against and 19 abstentions.. This vote marks the culmination of a 4-year process to develop a common European framework on responsible business conduct that contributes to fairer and more resilient global value chains while providing a level playing field for European companies.
“Today’s positive vote paves the way for the Directive to become law, marking a shift to binding due diligence expectations in Europe and beyond. After months of uncertainty, this outcome provides the necessary clarity on the path ahead for European businesses and is a step towards more responsible business conduct. In the coming years, we look forward to collaborating with other stakeholders to ensure an adequate transposition and implementation,” says Daniel Torán, Policy Officer at Frank Bold.
Despite the watering down introduced by Member States after the political agreement in December, Members of the European Parliament decided to endorse the text put forward by Council. Frank Bold welcomes this decision and we now call on the Belgian Presidency of the Council to proceed to a swift confirmation by Member States.
More than a half of the energy consumed in the EU is used to heat and cool homes, offices, shops and other premises. In the context of the EU's efforts to reduce emissions, the decarbonisation of the heating sector is therefore inevitable. But how to achieve a successful transformation of the heating sector in the Czech Republic? We have reviewed examples of community heating plants abroad and outlined solutions applicable in CZ as well.
By the end of July, the European Commission is expected to adopt its first set of sustainability reporting standards (ESRS). The standards will impact 50,000 European companies and thousands international corporate groups. As part of the EU Corporate Sustainability Directive (CSRD) ecosystem, they will require large companies to report information on their sustainability impacts on people and planet as well as their sustainability-related risks and opportunities.
Last Friday, the European Commission published for public consultation a draft Delegated Act on the first set of European Sustainability Reporting Standards. NGOs, civil society groups and investors associations are very concerned with the significant reduction of the ambition compared to EFRAG’s technical advice and urge the Commission to introduce a robust, mandatory and consistent reporting framework and to not allow greenwashing.
