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PRESS RELEASE “Not without us” – EU’s Omnibus proposal rewards corporate interests instead of protecting people & planet
February, 6th 2025, Brussels. Today, EU officials are meeting with corporate lobbyists to discuss rolling back sustainability laws—but those most affected by corporate abuse are locked out, bringing back the feeling of the David vs Goliath fight. On the same morning of the consultation, civil society groups are demonstrating outside the European Commission to oppose the Omnibus package and demand the protection of EU sustainability laws, as well as transparent, evidence-based policymaking. The common message: EU should serve people and the planet, not corporate interests.
"We refuse to let corporate interests rewrite the law without us. Workers and frontline communities fought for these EU sustainability regulations to prevent harm, but it's fossil fuel giants and corporate lobbyists who are now on the driver's seat. The Omnibus betrays the people and nature the EU pledged to protect. The Commission must decide: does it stand with people and the planet, or with corporate interest?"
Nele Meyer, Director of the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ)
On 8 November 2024, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the upcoming introduction of an proposal to amend three key pillars of the European Green Deal through an Omnibus law: the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), and the Taxonomy Regulation. Regrettably, this Omnibus proposal is pure backtracking and prioritising short-term profit over long-term sustainability and accountability. Over 170 members of civil society, human rights and environmental defenders, trade unions and climate activists are jointly saying no to the Omnibus proposal.
Who’s inside, who’s locked out: The Omnibus consultation exposed
Victims of corporate abuse, workers in exploitative supply chains, and frontline communities are not consulted on the Omnibus—but corporations are. In this sense, the EU is actively ignoring its own commitments to transparency and stakeholder engagement – defined in the EU Commission’s own Better Regulation guidelines.
"The Commission is blatantly ignoring its own ‘Better Regulation rules’ in order to fast-track its deregulation agenda. Instead of organising a public consultation on the future of the European Green Deal it is throwing a small private event with multinationals that will be happy to see corporate accountability rules go up in flames. Whilst a few NGOs will be there to advocate for human rights and the climate, the majority of invitees are corporations with different interests: some that were taken to court for violating human rights, and others that have been caught for hiding their role in the climate crisis since the 1970s"
Alban Grosdidier, corporate accountability campaigner Friends of the Earth Europe
More precisely, in today’s invite-only consultation organised by the European Commission, big banks, oil giants, and corporate lobby groups are heavily outweighing NGOs – giving the private interest lobbies a priority seat in shaping the rules on EU sustainability to their advantage. Not only that, but corporations and SMEs that have been vocally supportive of the CSDDD or the EU Green Deal don’t seem to be welcomed.
The European Commission closed-door event hosts 31 companies: 25% from the banking sector plus one insurance company, and 13% representing oil and gas interests. Research by SOMO shows that these are big companies claiming they need “simplification” while making a net profit of €5.6 billion each in 2023 alone and collectively paid out a total of €75B in dividends – proving that they have the capacities to comply with sustainability laws. Not only that, but some of these businesses have also been accused of abuses, directly or indirectly finances carbon bombs, or environmental allegations.
The Omnibus has officially been devised to reduce burden on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which make up 98.9% of businesses in the EU. Contradictory, only 4 out of 31 invited companies are, in fact, SMEs.
Disclaimer: The CSDDD should not be seen as a burden SMEs—it can actually help protect them. The directive is clear: large companies must cover verification costs and cannot push compliance expenses onto smaller suppliers. It also tackles unfair contract terms, like last-minute orders and impossible deadlines, that put economic pressure on SMEs. The real threat to small businesses isn’t regulation—it’s corporate exploitation.
The corporate playbook: Deregulation disguised as ‘competitiveness’
The Omnibus proposal is not about cutting red tape—it’s about deregulation and cutting corporate accountability. Regulations like the CSDDD exist to prevent human rights abuses and environmental disasters, because preceding voluntary standards have not been sufficiently effective. The approval of the CSDDD is a long overdue recognition to the victims of corporate harms. Prevention and accountability can be delivered through its effective implementation – and this is what the EU should focus on.
Let’s call this what it is: Omnibus package is a reward to corporate interests avoiding responsibility. Cutting human rights and environmental protections under the guise of ‘simplification’ fuels impunity, it’s a free pass to exploit workers, destroy ecosystems, and silence communities that stand in their way. We’ve seen what happens when corporate impunity is left unchecked—whether in the garment factories of Rana Plaza (Bangladesh, 2013, over 1,000 people killed) or the Brumadinho dam collapse (Brazil, 2019, 272 people killed). The EU promised “never again”, but rolling back these protections breaks that promise.
Despite the announcement of the EU’s new competitiveness compass, it seems like we are still not going in the right direction. Deregulation will unequivocally set us off course. We call on the European Commission to actively protect EU corporate accountability laws including the CSDDD and to reaffirm the official timeline for their transposition and implementation at the national level.
