A right-wing alliance against sustainability?

After two years of negotiations, the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) officially came into force on July 25, 2024. From July 2027, it will require large companies to respect human rights and the en vironment throughout their supply chains and to draw up and implement climate plans in line with the Paris Cli mate Agreement. Although the directive has some gaps, for example with regard to the financial sector, it is an important milestone on the road to a sustainable global economy. 

On February 26, 2025, however, the EU Commission proposed the so-called “Omnibus I Package” to “simplify” several EU sustainability laws, which would largely undermine the CSDDD and render it ineffective.1 It soon be came clear that the German conservative parties CDU and CSU were not satisfied with this. During his inaugural visit to the EU on May 9 in Brussels, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stated: “We will repeal the national law in Germany, and I also expect the EU to follow suit and repeal this directive.”2 

Under pressure from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), the German Federal Government has offi cially taken a different position, and Chancellor Merz has also backtracked somewhat. However, amendments proposed by Angelika Niebler, Markus Ferber, Daniel Caspary, and other members of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and the Christian Social Union (CSU) in the European Parliament (EP) leave no doubt that abolition remains their goal. Statements by Angelika Niebler (CSU) and the Swedish EPP lead negotiator Jörgen Warborn also show that they are not afraid to form an alliance with far-right groups in the European Parliament to achieve this goal. While the CDU/CSU continues to invoke the firewall against the far-right party AfD in the Bundestag, its demolition in the EP may be imminent when the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) votes on its position on the Omnibus I Package on October 13.