Global Supply Chains: ENNHRI Warns of Cuts to Human Rights Protection

01.04.2025 · News

The European Network of National Human Rights Institutions (ENNHRI) expresses strong concerns about the European Commission's Omnibus I proposal of February 26, 2025.

Significant Risks to Human Rights Protection in Global Supply Chains

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had initially announced that existing and future EU reporting obligations in the field of sustainability should be consolidated into an omnibus regulation to reduce bureaucracy. This approach carries the risk that carefully adopted European legislative acts, such as the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), may need to be renegotiated. 
The presented Omnibus I legislative proposal also includes substantial cuts to already adopted laws, such as the CSDDD or the Directive on Sustainability Reporting (CSRD). This threatens to significantly undermine the protection of human and environmental rights in global supply chains.

ENNHRI Statement Provides Recommendations to the European Parliament and Council

ENNHRI has analyzed the proposed amendments in a statement and issued recommendations to the European Parliament and the Council for the upcoming negotiations on the Omnibus legislative proposal: 

• Maintain a Risk-Based Approach: The CSDDD should retain the risk-based approach to due diligence throughout the chain of activities. This approach forms the cornerstone of international standards for business and human rights, such as the UN Guiding Principles or the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.. 

• Broadly Define Stakeholders: The term "stakeholders" who must be involved in the risk analysis should remain broadly defined and particularly National Human Rights Institutions must be included.

• Maintain Unified Civil Liability Requirements: The unified civil liability requirements from the CSDDD must be maintained to ensure coherence and effective access to justice for rightsholders throughout the EU. 

• Ensure Reliable Sustainability Information: Companies must continue to be required to provide detailed and reliable information on their sustainability efforts, particularly regarding human rights and the environment. The scope of the CSRD should not be restricted as planned in the draft, and companies must be allowed to request meaningful information from other actors, such as suppliers, government institutions, or research organizations, when needed. 

Rule of Law and Transparency Instead of Regression

The proposed legislative draft has the potential to weaken existing human rights and environmental protection mechanisms. In light of the next phase of the Omnibus legislation, ENNHRI emphasizes that EU institutions must ensure that the next steps are carried out in a manner that is governed by the rule of law and transparency. This requires that all relevant stakeholders are adequately involved and that decisions are made based on solid factual foundations.