Open letter addressed to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, 20 February 2025

We would like to express our urgent and ongoing concern regarding your plans for the upcoming Omnibus Simplification package to be adopted on the 26th of February.

We, as the S&D group, are dedicated to making the EU more responsive to the needs of people and businesses, as well as preserving the Union’s strategic objectives to foster economic security and build a resilient and competitive economy. Whilst being genuinely supportive of simplifying EU sustainability rules, we believe that achieving our energy and climate policy targets will contribute to strengthening the European Union’s competitiveness, not diminish it...

We are deeply concerned that some elements of the forthcoming omnibus proposal might put this at risk.

Concerning the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), we believe that its core substance and principles such as creating comparable data and standards for sustainability reporting, including double materiality, which has the potential to become a global standard for sustainability reporting, must be maintained to continue to provide investors with accurate and comparable information...

When it comes to the obligations under the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), we are especially worried, as the Directive has not yet been even implemented. Also, we would like to remind you that the CSDDD does not have additional reporting requirements. For this reason, we categorically oppose any attempt to include the CSDDD in the Omnibus proposal...

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We therefore request, with the most urgency, that you revisit your approach and put forward a proposal that can be supported by a pro-European majority. We are ready to work with you constructively and in the spirit of compromise, with open minds and respect for each other's aims.

[Read the full letter attached above]