Andrews criticises “complete dismantling” of consumer protections by European Commission

Fianna Fáil MEP and Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Development, Barry Andrews, has expressed concern over the European Commission’s Omnibus simplification package, describing it as “a drastic weakening of a corporate due diligence framework that has been years in the making.”

On Wednesday, the European Commission officially announced its Omnibus package proposals aimed at simplifying and streamlining several EU corporate sustainability reporting directives.

The Commission proposed a review of three pieces of legislation:  the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and the EU Green Taxonomy.

Andrews said he “acknowledges” the need for simplification, he warns that this comes at “too high a cost.”

“We know that we need to help our businesses at a time of economic and geopolitical uncertainty but it cannot be through destroying legislation aimed to protect the most vulnerable.”

“We were told by the Commission that simplification did not mean deregulation. That is simply untrue,” he said.

Andrews, who played a leading role in drafting the CSDDD—legislation designed to ensure greater corporate transparency on environmental and human rights abuses in global value chains — emphasised, “this is much more than a watering-down; this is a complete dismantling of the CSDDD.

The Fianna Fáil MEP said “the elimination of civil liability for companies, curtailing the due diligence value chain to Tier 1 suppliers and the removal of the obligation to use termination as a last resort are just a few examples of where this Omnibus proposal completely undermines the legislation. This doesn’t make the CSDDD a paper tiger; it makes it completely redundant.”

He believes the proposals will trigger widespread opposition from the European Parliament, noting, “it will not be supported by much of the centre and certainly none of the left in this house. It also faces intense scrutiny from civil society organisations, trade unions and human rights groups who have long advocated for stronger corporate accountability.

Andrews expressed concern that the Commission risks relying on the backing of right wing groups to get this through.

He said in that scenario, it would raise “serious questions” around the EU’s commitment to responsible business conduct and sustainable global trade.