As Federal Labour Minister Hubertus Heil has informed the news agency Reuters, the German government will not approve the EU supply chain law in the EU Council due to pressure from the FDP. It is therefore very uncertain whether the necessary qualified majority will be achieved in the EU Council this Friday. Armin Paasch, human rights expert at Misereor, describes the decision as the German Chancellor "caving in to the business lobby" and a "slap in the face of the victims of Brumadinho and Rana Plaza", and comments:

"Instead of rejecting the ideologically motivated sabotage of the FDP, Chancellor Olaf Scholz shies away from conflict and refuses leadership for sustainability. In doing so, the Chancellor is leaving his Labour Minister out in the cold, embarrassing Germany in the EU and making it clear that protecting human rights, the environment and the climate in the economy is not a priority for him.

Unfortunately, this also applies to Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck, who accepts the failure of this central project of socio-ecological transformation and apparently did not push for the Chancellor to put his foot down.

Germany's abstention is a fatal signal to all people worldwide who are affected by exploitation, modern slavery, displacement and the destruction of virgin forests. According to the German government, they will continue to have no right to compensation if European companies violate their human rights. We can only hope that the majority of EU member states will nevertheless vote in favour next Friday."

Federal Minister of Finance Christian Lindner and Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann had previously announced their rejection of the EU Supply Chain Act in a joint letter. In a briefing, the Supply Chain Act Initiative had pointed out that Marco Buschmann had played a decisive role in shaping and supporting the German position until the EU institutions reached an agreement. The EU agreement ultimately did not go beyond the German position.