In response to the crisis, FDP Vice Johannes Vogel has called for several relief steps for companies in Germany, including a postponement of the supply chain law. “Right now we shouldn’t put any additional bureaucratic shackles on,” said Vogel, first parliamentary director of the FDP parliamentary group, on Tuesday in Berlin. He pleaded for it to come into force at the beginning of 2024 at the earliest – i.e. a year later than planned – “or right up to the entry into force of the EU supply chain law”.
From 2023, the law will oblige larger companies to respond to abuses when purchasing materials and parts from abroad and to take remedial action. Aid organizations and trade unions are given the opportunity to represent those affected before German courts in the event of violations. Business associations complain that there is a lot of bureaucracy involved.
Vogel also called for a reform of the evidence law. “The EU has recently given us the option of eliminating the written form requirements, which would mean dispensing with paperwork and bureaucratic processes,” he said. “In 2022 we can organize our entire private life on the iPad, but according to German law, every form of contractual relationship between employees and companies still has to be on paper.”
Vogel also called for the ratification of free trade agreements to provide “impulses for additional supply-oriented growth policies” and to remove bureaucratic obstacles. Vogel: “That’s why I think it’s very important that we ratify Ceta this fall. And we should also implement the other free trade agreements that have already been agreed, such as Chile, Mexico and New Zealand, and the other agreements as soon as possible bring the ratification.”(dpa)