EPP Group in favour of responsible business conduct

Today, the European Commission will present its proposal on sustainable corporate governance. The EPP Group welcomes the bill since it will increase environmental and human rights protection across European supply chains. "In an increasingly globalised world, business comes with responsibility. Binding due diligence obligations are an important step towards companies assuming more responsibility in their value chains with regard to the protection of human rights and the environment”, said Axel Voss MEP, the EPP Group Spokesman on Legal Affairs. “At the same time, with uniform regulations in Europe, we create a level playing field as well as legal certainty for all companies”, he added.

“However, not every company is in a position to control every single one of its possibly thousands of suppliers. I therefore welcome the Commission's proposal to exempt SMEs as far as possible from the Directive. The EPP Group will push to prevent rampant bureaucracy through the extensive tracking of value chains”, stated Voss. “The risk-based approach is the right approach. It is important to take action in cases of real risks while avoiding unnecessary reporting obligations.” 

“We want the Commission to support a civil liability regime in line with national law. Companies should be liable if they are actually responsible for the damage caused”, Voss concluded.