Euroviews. Scholz must not surrender to Lindner on the CSDDD

In December, European policymakers from across the political spectrum agreed to help stop some of the world’s worst abuses — like child labour — through a game-changing law that businesses and climate activists alike could agree on.

It would finally create a fair, equal set of rules for big companies, ensuring that they’re not tied to human rights abuses and environmental destruction.

The law should have passed without drama last week, in what is usually a "rubber stamping" process between national governments in Brussels.

But the vote was pulled at the last minute after the FDP and its leader Christian Lindner forced Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s hand, and Germany is no longer voting in favour of the law — despite the support of the German public, major players in the business world, and the majority parties in government.

Germany was previously a champion of the law, and Scholz’s party, SPD, supports it. The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive has been years in the making and is in a time of turmoil, it is a bold, hopeful step towards a fairer future.

And what it would do is not divisive in Germany.

A broad-based survey conducted before the draft law was published shows over 80% of Germans support this law’s objectives — and say that companies should be liable if they damage the environment outside of the EU and that they should be responsible for preventing human rights violations in their global operations.

Many of Germany's largest companies — including Aldi Süd and BMW Group (via associations representing them) have also come out in support.

And it’s not just big business which backs it — it’s smaller companies too. Earlier this week the world’s leading network of SMEs, representing over 700 businesses in Germany,