Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) has justified his opposition to the planned EU supply chain directive with what he sees as the threat of unreasonable burdens on the German economy. “The protection of human rights is part of the EU’s self-image,” Buschmann told the German Press Agency on Thursday. He therefore fully supports the aim of the directive to ensure better protection of human rights and the environment in the supply chains of European companies. However, this goal should not lead to a “self-strangulation of our business location,” he emphasized.
Buschmann said: “We need solutions that do not overwhelm small and medium-sized companies in particular, that do not paralyze Germany and Europe in international competition with even more bureaucracy.” It was important to him to negotiate until the end in order to then reach an overall assessment check whether the result is acceptable. In the end, he came to the conclusion: “Our concerns have not been allayed, the risks for the European and German economy outweigh them.” The Federal Ministry of Justice could therefore not support the trilogue result. “In the Council of the European Union, this results in Germany abstaining, which ultimately acts like a “no” vote,” said the FDP politician.
A final vote among the EU states is still pending in the EU Council. ‘The Pioneer’ first reported on the negative attitude of Buschmann and his party colleague, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner.
The EU Supply Chain Act aims to hold large companies accountable if they profit from child or forced labor outside the EU. Larger companies must also create a plan to ensure their business model and strategy are consistent with meeting the Paris climate targets to limit global warming. (dpa)