European Union

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) represents a significant advancement in mandating responsible business conduct within and outside the European Union (EU). This guide, developed by a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs), aims to assist other CSOs in supporting the transposition and implementation of the CSDDD across European Union (EU) Member States, ensuring that the Directive's objectives are met ambitiously and effectively.

In today’s world, the interconnectedness of societies, ecosystems, and economies is undeniable. Crises like climate change, pandemics, and conflicts transcend borders, affecting everyone, including EU citizens. To effectively address both current and future crises, as well as setbacks in human rights, sustainable development and gender equality, the EU urgently needs additional resources. Investing in these efforts benefits both EU citizens and people worldwide, reinforcing global security and stability for all.

The carbon footprint of a super-rich European, accumulated from nearly a week of using super yachts and private jets, matches the lifetime carbon footprint of someone in the world’s poorest 1 percent, a new Oxfam report reveals today. The first-of-its-kind study, “Carbon Inequality Kills”, tracks the emissions from private jets, yachts and polluting investments and comes ahead of COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, amidst growing fears that climate breakdown is accelerating, driven largely by the emissions of the richest people.

The EU’s new global investment and development strategy, the Global Gateway, risks diverting the aid budget to big business, a new report by Counter Balance, Eurodad and Oxfam reveals. “Who profits from the Global Gateway? The EU’s new strategy for development cooperation” finds that over 60 percent of projects analysed benefit at least one European company. 

The undersigned organisations jointly call for the suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement in light of violations of human rights by the State of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). These human rights violations constitute a clear breach of Article 2, which makes the Agreement conditional upon the parties’ “respect for human rights and democratic principles”, which constitute “an essential element” of the Agreement. 

Today, the European Court of Justice ruled that Ireland illegally provided state aid to Apple through a tax deal which upholds the European Commission’s 2016 decision. As a result, Apple must now pay back €13 billion in unpaid taxes. 

Europe’s agriculture industry is exploiting the at least 2.4 million migrants who harvest Europe’s fruits and vegetables. This is according to a new report published today by the University of Comillas and Oxfam researchers titled “Essential but invisible and exploited.” 

Fourteen international humanitarian organisations are urging the European Commission to rethink its proposed shift to a transactional approach in development cooperation, as seen in a recently leaked draft Briefing Book from the European Commission's Directorate General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA). This Briefing Book will set the direction for EU development in the next EU mandate. The organisations warn that this approach could abandon vulnerable communities in fragile or crisis-affected contexts, leading to devastating consequences for those most at risk and undermining the EU's global relevance in an increasingly fragile world. 

Today, EU countries rubber-stamped the deal on the EU’s new supply chain rules. This law — the Corporate Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) — aims to make companies accountable for the damage they cause to people and the planet. 

Today, EU ambassadors failed to rubber-stamp the recently agreed deal on new EU supply chain rules. This law — the Corporate Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) — aims to make companies accountable for the damage they cause to people and the planet.