Blockade of the EU supply chain law

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) is shocked that the FDP is planning to block the EU supply chain law: “Mr. Lindner is a disgrace for liberalism and for Germany. On the one hand, he preaches freedom, while on the other hand blocking a law to ban forced labor,” criticized Jasna Causevic, STP expert on genocide prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, in Göttingen on Friday. “Thereby, he makes German criticism of human rights violations in other countries less credible, weakening the entire international human rights system.”

Forced labor is widespread, especially in China. In addition to the Uyghurs, the Tibetan people are increasingly affected as well. “What China’s Communist Party promotes as a method of combating poverty is actually a perfidious system to oppress minority groups. At the same time, companies in China benefit from unrivaled cheap labor,” Causevic added. “Clearly, Lindner is aiming to pass on a piece of this forced labor pie to German and European companies. He doesn‘t seem to care about the consequences of him saying ‘no’.”

The European Supply Chain Due Diligence Act was negotiated at EU level and in trilogue for a long time. Germany, as the largest EU member state, has a special responsibility and should therefore not abstain from voting. “The EU Supply Chain Due Diligence Act is not only intended to level the playing field in the EU and on the global market – it is also supposed to make it easier for victims of human rights violations to get access to justice,” Causevic emphasized. “It belongs to the companies’ duties to urge their suppliers to improve the working conditions for many people all around the world. If Germany fails to approve this law at the last minute, this would set a bad example for the other member states. At worst, this could lead to the law not being adopted at all. Without a European supply chain law, it will not be possible to effectively protect human rights in supply chains.”