Germany will not agree to the planned EU supply chain law.
Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) announced this on Tuesday in Berlin and blamed the FDP for it. Heil criticized him and accused his coalition partner of an “ideologically motivated blockade” in making compromises and solution suggestions right up to the end, but the Free Democrats were not prepared to go along with this solution.
The European supply chain law is intended to hold large companies accountable if they profit from child or forced labor outside the EU. However, a German abstention could cause the entire set of regulations to fail because the necessary majority in Brussels is in jeopardy.
In contrast to the SPD and the Greens, Finance Minister Christian Linder and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (both FDP) had long signaled resistance because they feared disadvantages for the German economy. Because of this attitude, the Free Democrats within the traffic light coalition were criticized – but the federal government will now have to abstain. “I think that’s wrong,” emphasized Heil. A German abstention would be met with incomprehension among its European partners. (dpa)