Omnibus against better working conditions

Employees and unions are already on the barricades: With protest posters and slogans such as "Big Business Omnibus" and "Final destination: deregulation", the European Trade Union Confederation protested on Tuesday in Brussels' European Quarter against the EU Commission's next mammoth project.

On Wednesday, the Brussels authority plans to present the so-called Omnibus regulations. They are intended to revise and simplify four European sustainability laws. Critics fear they will be weakened . The EU Commission also wants to present the "Clean Industrial Deal" - this will align climate protection with the needs of industry.

These initiatives are not surprising. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) announced them at the beginning of her second term in office in December. The goal - less bureaucracy, more competitiveness - was already discussed during the European elections. The CDU/CSU and the European People's Party (EPP) used this to campaign for votes.

But after the election victory of CDU leader Friedrich Merz and the foreseeable departure of the Greens from the government, the initiative has taken on new significance. "This is a major threat to the Green Deal ," warns Green MEP Michal Bloss. Climate policy is threatened by a "strong backlash" - not only in Berlin, but also in Brussels.

Hope for a new EU climate target

Bloss hopes that the Commission will also present a new climate protection target for 2040. If CO₂ emissions are to be reduced by 90 percent compared to 1990, as expected, that would be "the pole star for economic modernization." However, the EU authority's plans can still be changed up until the last minute.

This also applies to the "Clean Industrial Deal", which was leaked in advance. The social chapter contained in it is completely inadequate, criticize the unions. Employers are also not satisfied. The Federal Association of the Energy and Water Industries, for example, calls for "efficient implementation strategies and investment incentives".

The most criticism, however, is directed at the "Omnibus", which initially affects four laws: the sustainability reporting CSRD, the European Supply Chain Law, the taxonomy and the CO₂ Border Adjustment Mechanism. These regulations are to be watered down, even though many of them have only just been passed.

According to the Supply Chain Act, companies will in future only be required to check their direct suppliers - and not, as previously planned, suppliers across the entire supply chain. The law is not even in force yet, criticizes SPD MEP Bernd Lange, who says there is a lack of concrete experience.

The reporting obligations under the CSRD will only apply to companies with more than 1,000 employees and an annual turnover of more than 450 million euros. The circle would therefore be significantly restricted. This would weaken the protection of employees, warns the European Trade Union Confederation.

backing from CDU/CSU and FDP

The EU Commission, on the other hand, is backed by the CDU/CSU and FDP. The screws for companies should not be tightened too much, says FDP MP Andreas Glück. "The European Commission is finally getting serious about reducing bureaucracy," says the EPP's environmental policy spokesman, Peter Liese (CDU), happily.

The initiative is also due to pressure from the Christian Democrats, said Liese. "Friedrich Merz's personal commitment to Ursula von der Leyen and other EPP leaders in the EU is having an impact." But that is precisely the problem from the Greens' point of view. They supported von der Leyen's re-election in November in order to save the "Green Deal".

But now "trust has been shaken," complains Green MP Anna Cavazzini, who heads the EU Parliament's Internal Market Committee. Von der Leyen must at least ensure proper parliamentary consultation, she demands. Even that was not guaranteed before the omnibus laws were presented. They were drawn up in an expedited procedure, without the usual consultations.