European Union

Today, the EU agreed on a new European law to make companies accountable for the damage they cause to people and the planet - the Corporate Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). In response, Oxfam EU’s Economic Justice Policy Lead, Marc-Olivier Herman, said: "This deal marks a significant milestone as the largest of companies will finally have to clean up their act. But it did not get through unscathed with the regressive business lobby and a group of EU countries led by France and Germany punching holes in the law.

EU lawmakers risk letting fossil fuel financiers, greenwashers, and companies violating labour rights off the hook under new European due diligence rules.  

The richest 1 percent of the world’s population produced as much carbon pollution in 2019 than the five billion people who made up the poorest two-thirds of humanity, reveals a new Oxfam report today. It comes ahead of the UN climate summit in Dubai, amid growing fears that the 1.5°C target for curtailing rising temperatures appears increasingly unachievable.

On Thursday, 1 June, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) will vote on the EU’s new rules to make companies accountable for the damage they cause to people and the planet: the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). If the European Parliament fails to vote in favour of ambitious amendments, the final text risks being a far cry from what is needed.

Read Oxfam EU's media briefing which breaks down the rules and what MEPs need to do to make them stronger. 

Today, European finance ministers updated the EU tax havens list. They added Antigua and Barbuda, Belize and Seychelles to the blacklist and removed the British Virgin Islands, Costa Rica and the Marshall Islands.

In response to the G20 communique, Oxfam says: ‘The G20 has failed to meet the huge challenges our world faces. They continue to stumble away from taking the bold actions necessary to tackle poverty, inequality, and climate change after an uninspiring and underwhelming Summit in India this weekend.” 

Leaders from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean will meet next week in Brussels for the first time in almost a decade. 

After years of deadlock, EU justice and home affair ministers will seek to reach an agreement this week on two key files: the border procedure which includes the potential detention of children, and the solidarity mechanism which puts relocations on equal footing with financial contributions.   

Today, the EU Parliament agreed on the new EU law to make companies accountable for the damage they cause to people and the planet: the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).