"EU delays supply chain law decision after German objections", 9 Feb 2024

European Union countries on Friday postponed a decision on a proposed law which would require large companies to check if their supply chains use forced labour or cause environmental damage after Germany indicated it would abstain.

A "qualified majority" of 15 EU countries representing 65% of the EU population is needed for the corporate sustainability due diligence directive (CSDDD) to proceed to a final vote in the European Parliament, where lawmakers are expected to support it...

Once the engine of EU integration along with France, Germany is increasingly becoming the brake, with a divided coalition.

Germany's pro-business Free Democrats opposed the supply chain law, arguing it would burden business with excessive bureaucracy. They also brought late objections to an EU law to end sales CO2-emitting cars by 2035 and on EU plans to reduce truck emissions.

Their coalition partners, the Social Democrats and the Greens, backed the law and warned that Germany would lose credibility in the EU with their last minute opposition.

The Belgian EU presidency said the item had been removed from the agenda of Friday's meeting of envoys from the EU's 27 countries and would be rescheduled to a date to be announced.

The EU diplomat said it was set to be next Wednesday...