On the occasion of Germany's imminent abstention on the European supply chain law, Green Party politician Anton Hofreiter declared that Germany's selfish electoral behavior must finally end. Recently, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) stated that he did not want to support the law that had actually been negotiated.
“I hope that Chancellor Scholz will prevent 'German votes' in the future for Germany's reputation in Europe,” Hofreiter told the Editorial Network Germany (RND). Germany must finally take responsibility together with its neighbors instead of just thinking about itself.
EU supply chain law is controversial
European supply chain law aims to make it possible for large companies to be held accountable if they profit from child or forced labor outside the EU. However, a German abstention could derail the entire regulation because it would jeopardize the majority necessary for the project.
As the Zeit newspaper reports, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) is one of the defenders of the law. The FDP and several business representatives, however, view the law with critical eyes.
“The path we are taking is the wrong path,” Christoph Werner, head of the dm pharmacy chain, recently told “Capital” magazine. The plan is a “broad way of doing politics.”