According to Heil, the FDP is sticking with the no vote
Traffic light fails to reach agreement on supply chain law
February 6, 2024, 1:25 p.m
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According to Labor Minister Heil, the FDP rejects his compromise proposal on the EU Supply Chain Directive. This means that Germany must abstain from the vote. As a result, the entire project threatens to fail.
According to Labor Minister Hubertus Heil, efforts in the federal government to approve the EU Supply Chain Directive have ultimately failed. The SPD politician said that the FDP was not prepared to go along with the solution he proposed. As a result, Germany will have to abstain from the vote in the European Union (EU), which is tantamount to saying no.
“I am very disappointed that Germany has to abstain from the upcoming vote due to an ideologically motivated blockade of the FDP,” said Heil. “An EU supply chain directive strengthens human rights in international trade relations, for example when it comes to combating child and forced labor.” This means that the EU project as a whole is in jeopardy, as the necessary majority in the EU is not in sight due to concerns from other countries.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (both FDP) announced last week that they could not support the EU directive. In Germany, the major business associations had called for a no to EU plans to hold companies more accountable for deficiencies in their supply chains.
Heil: EU partners will have no understanding
According to Heil’s words, the EU project would also be in the interests of the German economy. “Such a directive creates uniform competitive conditions throughout Europe and is therefore in the interests of German companies,” said Heil. The labor minister accused his coalition partner of refusing to cut bureaucracy. The abstention will also not be well received by EU partners.
“In order to enable German approval, I made compromise and solution proposals in the coalition right up to the end that would have enabled quick relief and unbureaucratic implementation for German companies,” said Heil. “The FDP was not prepared to go along with this solution and has now definitely rejected it. I think that is wrong, also because a German abstention will be met with incomprehension by other partners in Europe.”