On the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937
EMPL-AD-735813
Committee on Employment and Social Affairs · Rapporteur: Samira Rafaela
Written by a language model from the full text only; every figure comes from the text. The paragraph links open the paragraph a statement rests on — check the text itself before relying on it.
The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs proposes amendments to the Commission's proposal for a directive on corporate sustainability due diligence. It wants workers' representatives and social partners involved, a gender-sensitive approach, a broader scope covering high-risk activities including financial enterprises, and a victim-based complaint procedure.¶¶¶ The amendments lower the employee threshold to 150, add construction and other high-risk activities, require Member States to provide tailor-made templates, sector-specific guidelines and training, and add new rights and conventions to the Annex.¶¶¶
Committee position. The Committee on Employment and Social Affairs calls on the Committee on Legal Affairs to take into account its amendments, which strengthen the proposal by integrating workers' representatives and social partners, broadening the scope, and adopting a gender-sensitive and victim-based approach.¶¶
Key points
- The rapporteur welcomes the Commission proposal and seeks to strengthen it by integrating workers' representatives and social partners, accounting for gender sensitivity, broadening the scope and adopting a victim-based approach.¶
- Member States should provide tailor-made templates, sector-specific guidelines, training and facilitate network or platform creation to help companies, including SMEs, meet due diligence obligations.¶¶¶
- The scope is enlarged to include high-risk economic activities such as financial enterprises, and the employee threshold is lowered to 150 with at least 50% of net turnover from high-risk activities.¶¶
- The amendments add a gender-sensitive lens, explicitly including the Tourism and Hospitality sector, and require consideration of differentiated impacts on men and women.¶¶¶
- Companies must have legitimate, accessible, gender-sensitive complaint procedures, protect complainants from retaliation, and allow complaints from trade unions, workers' representatives, civil society organisations and whistleblowers.¶
- Complainants should receive timely information, written follow-up, meet company representatives, obtain full remediation, and access judicial and non-judicial mechanisms without undermining collective bargaining.¶¶¶
- The Commission shall issue guidelines in consultation with stakeholders, including social partners and EU agencies, covering specific sectors, adverse impacts and high-risk geographical areas, with a gender-specific dimension.¶
- Member States shall develop digital platforms with guidance and tailor-made templates for companies, accessible also to companies outside the scope, with tailored support for SMEs.¶¶
- The Annex is amended to add violations of the right to safe and healthy working conditions, the right to work, the prohibition of violence against women, and rights without discrimination between men and women.¶¶¶
- New international conventions are added to the Annex, including on migrant workers, human rights defenders, peasants, indigenous peoples, occupational safety and health, and violence and harassment.¶¶¶
- The code of conduct must be developed in consultation with workers and trade unions, made publicly available, and based on European guidelines with a standardised set of principles.¶
- Companies must prioritise adverse impacts based on severity and likelihood, with disengagement as a last resort, and develop gender-sensitive prevention and corrective action plans with meaningful stakeholder engagement.¶¶¶
Who is affected
- Companies, including SMEs, which will be indirectly affected and deserve support in meeting due diligence obligations.¶
- Financial enterprises, now included in the scope as high-risk economic activities.¶
- Workers, trade unions and workers' representatives, who gain rights to be consulted and to submit complaints.¶¶
- Potentially affected groups including indigenous people, women, children, and human rights and environmental defenders.¶
- The Tourism and Hospitality sector, explicitly included due to overrepresentation of women.¶
Figures and deadlines
- 150 employees, the new threshold for companies covered by the directive.¶
- 50% of net turnover generated by high-risk activities, required for companies with 150 employees.