The organisations have filed an official grievance with the European Ombudsman, criticising the process by which the European Commission (EC) crafted the Omnibus proposal.
The proposal aims to amend key EU sustainability laws, such as the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), and the EU Taxonomy Regulation.
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The NGOs argue the development process was executed in an undemocratic manner, lacked transparency, and was expedited, allowing a select group of industry representatives to exert influence and advocate for loosening these critical sustainability regulations.
The coalition of NGOs include:
- Anti-Slavery International
- European Coalition for Corporate Justice
- ClientEarth
- Clean Clothes Campaign
- Friends of the Earth Europe
- Global Witness
- Notre Affaire À Tous, and T&E.
In a joint statement, the coalition said: “We are contesting the commission’s rushed dismantling of three key pillars of the Green Deal – including laws meant to improve the environmental and human impacts of global trade – a process that completely disregards people and nature’s rights.
“The Omnibus proposal was made without any public consultation, sidelining civil society, with a lack of evidence or environmental and social impact assessments, and with a primary focus on narrow industry interests. This reckless move not only weakens sustainability rules but also damages public trust in the EU’s democratic foundations.”
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By GlobalDataNGOs accusation against the EU commission
The NGOS suggested the proposal fails to conduct thorough evaluations of its potential environmental and social consequences, thereby undermining the foundational principles of corporate laws intended to safeguard citizens within the EU and globally.
The process is also alleged to have bypassed extensive public consultations, opting instead for exclusive meetings dominated by oil and gas industry stakeholders, the details of which were only disclosed through media leaks.
The proposal is also criticised for not assessing its consistency with the EU’s legally binding climate-neutrality target under the European Climate Law, thereby breaching its obligations to ensure all policies contribute to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
The coalition warned that beyond conflicting with EU democratic values and environmental objectives, the Omnibus could jeopardise economic stability and hinder the competitiveness goals it purports to support.
The organisations argue that simplification as proposed does not promote competitiveness and ignores scientific evidence.
The coalition stated: “This so-called simplification does nothing to enhance competitiveness, the European Commission is ignoring both evidence and science.
“Strong sustainability laws like the CSDDD and CSRD are key to the EU’s competitive advantage in a global market where consumers and investors increasingly demand responsible corporate action. We have seen time and time again that vague corporate promises aren’t driving the change we need. Weakening environmental and human rights requirements is a step in the wrong direction.”
In February this year, ClientEarth’s legal experts denounced the Commission’s proposal for substantially eroding corporate accountability. They highlighted the plan’s significant limitations: confining due diligence obligations solely to direct business partners and substantially diluting the requirements for climate transition plans.
