Impact France calls for an ambitious compromise on the Omnibus Directive

The Mouvement Impact France fully supports the demands of the Business for a Better Tomorrow coalition, which is calling for a rapid and balanced compromise on the Omnibus Directive, guaranteeing the European Union's fundamental ambitions in terms of sustainability.

On October 22, the European Parliament rejected the negotiating mandate for the Omnibus Directive, which aimed to streamline the implementation of several key EU sustainability frameworks, including the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and the Corporate Sustainability Duty of Care Directive (CSDD).

We note this decision, which prolongs a period of regulatory uncertainty and jeopardizes the ability of European businesses to plan, invest and commit to the ecological and social transition with confidence. Predictability is essential for business confidence and long-term competitiveness: Europe must provide a stable, coherent and challenging framework that enables companies to align their operations and value chains with the transition trajectory. Inaction today will cost our society more tomorrow.

While Parliament's vote reflects legitimate concerns about the balance between simplification and ambition, it is essential that a new agreement be reached without delay. Simplification must not be synonymous with regression, but rather a lever for efficiency and competitiveness in the service of sustainability.

Alongside Business for a Better Tomorrow, Impact France is calling on pro-European political forces to build an ambitious, pragmatic compromise before the next plenary vote in November. Simplification must be effective and operational, responding to the realities encountered by companies on the ground, but it must not compromise the ambition and spirit of the CSRD and CSDD. These directives remain essential for protecting European businesses against unfair competition, strengthening their resilience and supporting their long-term prosperity by integrating sustainability at the heart of their strategies.

In this respect, it is essential to maintain a high level of ambition on several provisions long-awaited by companies, such as the obligation to implement climate transition plans, the preservation of extraterritoriality in the application of the directives, a "value chain cap" that does not hold back the sustainability policies of committed companies, realistic scopes ensuring the effective and efficient implementation of these directives, as well as the establishment of a harmonized civil liability regime to guarantee a truly operational European due diligence framework. 

We warn of the growing risk of political fragmentation, as emerging alliances between conservative and far-right groups could lead to a further rollback of the European sustainability framework. Such a scenario would send a discouraging signal to companies already committed to transition, and could erode confidence in the EU's ability to establish a stable and predictable regulatory environment. 

For Impact France, simplification must be a lever for prosperity, not a pretext for diluting Europe's environmental and social ambitions.

We call on the European institutions to reaffirm a common course for economic resilience and sustainable growth, and to ensure that future compromises reinforce, rather than dilute, the foundations of the European Green Pact .

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About Business for a Better Tomorrow
Business for a Better Tomorrow is the coalition of 19 European and national business networks committed to ecological and social transition. 

Read the statement here

Read the statement in Spanish here

Read the statement in Italian here

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