With 238 days’ delay, the Commission finally presented on 23 February 2022 a proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (‘CSDD’).
A strong directive on mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence was desperately expected and needed at a time of rising human rights violations including abuse of labour and trade union rights by both governments and major European companies.
However, what has been put now on the table is a missed opportunity. The Commission misses the key call of trade unions and civil society for strong rules on Sustainable Corporate Due Diligence to move away from unilateral business initiatives. It seems to have opted for the lowest common denominator, as a baseline. The Commission’s proposal even largely ignores the strong and ambitious European Parliament proposals[1] which echoed much better and with vision what the European Union should deliver to hold business and suppliers accountable for the adverse impacts of their operation on human rights, people and the planet.