More than 160 civil society organisations have signed a statement warning that the EU’s proposed omnibus legislation risks creating “costly confusion” and “lower[ing] protection for people and the planet”. The omnibus would simultaneously modify several pieces of sustainability-focused legislation – namely the EU Taxonomy Regulation, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) – to reduce perceived sustainability reporting burdens facing corporates. The statement called on the European Commission to uphold all EU corporate accountability legislation, including the CSDDD, CSRD and Taxonomy, and to follow the current timeline for the transposition and implementation of these laws. It added that the commission should clarify its intentions “as a matter of urgency”, and be fully transparent about the rationale, scope, timeline and legislative process. An update on the omnibus is expected on 26 February. “President Ursula von der Leyen runs the risk of undermining key protections by forcing a re-opening of the[se] files with the omnibus law,” the statement read. “This is generating tremendous uncertainty for countries that have already started their transposition process, and it will reward companies who failed to prepare to comply with these legislations.” The statement underlined that many countries outside the EU – including Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway and the UK – have introduced or are in the process of introducing mandatory human rights due diligence laws, calling on the EU to “encourage a race to the top” on human rights. “These changes risk undermining corporate accountability, human rights, and environmental protections at a critical time,” said NGO ShareAction, one of the statement’s signatories. “We call on the European Commission to protect these laws, stick to the [original] timeline for their implementation, and ensure full transparency on the omnibus process.” Last month, a similar statement from more than 90 organisations, including numerous investors, criticised the omnibus proposal.
We've joined 160+ CSOs to warn against the EU's proposal to weaken #CSDDD, #CSRD & #EUTaxonomy.
We say #NoToOmnibus.
The EU must lead on climate & social justice, not backtrack.
President @vonderleyen: Deliver on your promises for a sustainable future👇… pic.twitter.com/hlSBimy1cL
— ShareAction (@ShareAction) January 14, 2025
