Despite the fact that the leaders of both the Christian Democratic Conservative EPP and the Social Democratic S&D and the Liberal RE urged their colleagues to vote yes, it was a crushing defeat in the vote in Strasbourg at lunchtime.
With 318 votes against 309, an extremely rare combination of far-right, left and greens voted to reject the compromise drawn up by Swedish member Jörgen Warborn (M).
Outside this session hall, we have millions of companies – small, medium-sized, farmers, large companies – and they need clarity, Warborn himself tried in vain to urge before the vote.
Takes time
The result means that the entire parliament must take up the issue again at its next session. This also means that the entire process is prolonged, despite the fact that the EU member states have already agreed on their view of the matter.
The vote concerned proposed simplifications and exemptions from the sustainability directives CSR and CSDD, which, among other things, deal with how companies should ensure that subcontractors outside the EU do not contribute to, for example, environmental degradation and child labor.
The left and the greens believe that the simplifications are far too extensive. Warborn and the EPP's leaders have been sharply criticized for pushing to go much further than what the EU Commission has proposed.
”Needs a chainsaw”
”The Moderate Party's attempt at blackmail and desperate need for power backfired. They did everything they could to destroy the EU's sustainability laws, but failed”, writes Alice Bah Kuhnke (Green party) in a comment via SMS.
The far-right wants to go even further and in several cases would rather abolish the rules altogether.
The EU does not need a trimmer to cut through bureaucracy. The EU needs a chainsaw, said Charlie Weimers (SD) at a press conference on Tuesday.
