Today, the European Parliament is set to confirm the historic agreement on the protection of over 30 million platform workers and the European social model. This is the last stretch on a rough journey to this new legislation, which started in 2016 in Prague, where the Socialists and Democrats first pledged to fight for the protection of all workers in the digital era.

The groundbreaking legislation is a result of the relentless efforts of the progressive family. The Socialists and Democrats led the negotiations on behalf of the European Parliament, and all this would not be possible without commissioner for jobs and social rights Nicolas Schmit who put forward a far-reaching legislative proposal.

Elisabetta Gualmini, S&D vice-president and European Parliament’s rapporteur on the new EU legislation on platform work, said: 

“Today, we are writing history. The EU is getting a new law on platform work, thanks to our unwavering commitment to social and labour rights. Our journey started eight years ago in Prague, where we first called to address the situation of platform workers.

“It has been a hard battle against the aggressive lobbying of platform giants, but in the end a qualified majority of EU member states also understood the importance of supporting the file – and the social Europe won.

“This is a big victory for our progressive family, for platform workers, for good employers, for the genuinely self-employed, for the European social model and economy. Great achievements like this are our best arguments for the upcoming elections.

“This law is about protecting the people who give us rides, bring us food and perform many other services for us every day. Many platforms hire them as bogus self-employed, depriving them of decent wages and labour rights. Now this will change.

“The new legislation will not only protect platform workers, but also preserve true self-employment, prevent unfair competition and introduce groundbreaking rules on algorithm management; ensuring that the machines cannot fire people or spy on them. All this will make Europe the pioneer in global labour law.”

Today, the European Parliament will be voting on new binding rules on making sure businesses behave responsibly.

This is a major victory for the Socialists and Democrats, who initiated this fight four years ago with an own initiative report, calling on the Commission to come forward with a proposal, and led the negotiations on behalf of the European Parliament.

The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive is the most ambitious legislation in the world to oblige companies, both inside and outside the EU, to take responsibility for the impact of their activities on human rights and the environment in their subsidiaries and value chains.

Lara Wolters, S&D MEP and European Parliament rapporteur for due diligence, said:

“We cannot continue to tolerate the use of forced labour and child labour, land grabbing, including from indigenous communities, pollution, and the destruction of the environment. With the vote on the due diligence law, we are finally holding large companies responsible for violations of human rights and environmental standards.

“This is a victory for all of us and it will have major implications around the world, stopping businesses from looking away from very real human misery and destruction. This is about more than business conduct; this is about values, and perhaps most of all, about humanity.

“Despite the last-minute changes imposed by the Council, the core elements of the directive remain untouched. The agreement sets a robust mandatory due diligence framework, well aligned with international standards, and with a revolutionary liability regime, which includes key access to justice measures that our Group defended so strongly.

“But we still have a long road ahead of us, and we hope that member states will swiftly and adequately transpose the directive. We strongly encourage the future Commission to quickly develop much-needed, robust and detailed guidelines to help companies, authorities and stakeholders implement the new due diligence obligations.

“People and planet must go before profit.”

Note to editor:

Follow the EP press conference(opens in a new tab) by S&D MEP Lara Wolters, EP rapporteur on due diligence, today at 15:00.

As of June 2024, European member states will have two years to transpose the new rules into their national law.  

The new rules will apply to companies as follows:

• As of June 2027: for companies with over 5000 employees 
• As of June 2028: for companies with over 3000 employees 
• As of June 2029: for companies with over 1000 employees

Today, the leader of the Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Iratxe García, called for the unity of the European Union to put an end to the spiral of violence in the Middle East and avoid a regional spill over. In a debate during the plenary session in Strasbourg, García committed to Israel’s security after Iran’s unprecedented attack. Referring to Gaza, the S&D leader reiterated the urgency of humanitarian aid in the Strip, and a cease-fire to end the massacre of the Palestinian population, the release of hostages held by Hamas, and negotiations for peace and two states between the Mediterranean and Jordan. 

Iratxe García said:  

“The European Union must stand united. We are committed to Israel’s security, and there is no better way to demonstrate our firmness towards the Ayatollah regime than by extending sanctions against its missile production and transfers, and against its allies in the Middle East. Diplomacy must prevail over warmongering rhetoric that provides no solution and will only generate more fear, death and destruction. 

“Our commitment to the defence of Israel cannot, and must not, be incompatible with our firmness in the face of the intolerable humanitarian tragedy imposed by Netanyahu’s government on Gaza. More than 33,000 deaths, 200 humanitarian workers and 100 journalists have been killed, one and a half million people are crammed in Rafah and more than one million are at extreme risk of malnutrition due to the use of starvation as a weapon of war. What more needs to happen in Gaza for the European Union to step up the pressure to put an end to a conflict that the Palestinians are paying for with their blood? 

“In Gaza, international law is also at stake, as is the way societies live freely and in dignity. Let us make our voices heard so that Netanyahu complies with the UN Security Council resolution demanding a ceasefire, and the ICJ ruling to protect the civilian population. The international community must also comply with the embargo on arms sales to Israel called for by the UN Human Rights Council.

 “The European Union and its member states have in their hands the power to force Netanyahu to stop the destruction of Gaza, making use of potential measures ranging from trade policy to the recognition of the State of Palestine, and including the arms embargo.”

Today the European Parliament endorsed new rules on mandatory anti-harassment training for all its Members. 

As a result of the reforms led by S&D vice-president Gaby Bischoff, MEPs will have to follow training sessions on the prevention of conflict and harassment, as well as on good office management, within the first six months in. Today the conservative forces in the European Parliament, led by the European People’s Party, watered down the text adopted by the constitutional affairs committee that made it possible to remove an elected officeholder, such as president, vice-president, quaestor, committee chair or vice-chair. 

In January 2023, Parliament’s leaders mandated the committee to strengthen the institution’s anti-harassment rules. The new rules on mandatory anti-harassment training are among the final votes of this mandate, after delays orchestrated by the right wing political groups in the European Parliament.

S&D vice-president Gaby Bischoff, leading the negotiations for mandatory harassment training for the constitutional affairs committee, said:

“As a public institution as well as an employer, the European Parliament has a duty to set the gold standard in tackling harassment in the workplace. Clear rules and strong sanctions must be in place to support a zero-tolerance approach towards inappropriate behaviour. Prevention is key as it enables us to address issues proactively, before they escalate. Mandatory training reinforces our commitment to a workplace where the dignity of all is respected and protected.

“Despite a clear political mandate from Parliament’s Bureau, conservative and far-right political groups water down the new rules in particular with regards to sanctions in cases of breaches. The European People’s Party, in particular, has resorted to delaying tactics, prolonging negotiations within the committee and casting doubt on the need to change the rules of procedure. Why EPP Members have dragged their feet on mandatory training to prevent harassment in the European Parliament is for them to explain.”

The Socialists and Democrats welcome the establishment of the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans, endorsed today by the European Parliament. This is the centrepiece of the growth plan for the region, proposed by the European Commission in November 2023. 

It is expected to provide up to €2 billion in grants and €4 billion in loans to the Western Balkan countries in the period 2024-2027, complementing the existing pre-accession assistance and thus considerably increasing financial assistance to the region.

As the Commission presented the proposal very late and there was a push to reach an agreement during this legislature, the European Parliament went through the file with unprecedented speed, which has proved to be both technically and politically demanding.

Tonino Picula, EP rapporteur on the growth plan for the Western Balkans in the European Parliament's committee on foreign affairs, said:

“The growth plan for the Western Balkans gives a fresh impetus to the enlargement process based on the rule of law, transparency and reforms as the only means of bringing these countries closer to the EU.  We insisted on the importance of full alignment with EU foreign policy, including restrictive measures, for the progress on the path towards the EU. It depends on the political leaders in the Western Balkans to have the political will to reach all these goals, but this has to be backed by us with financial means.”

Eider Gardizabal Rubial, S&D negotiator on the growth plan for the Western Balkans in the European Parliament’s committee on budgets, added: 

“We, the Socialists and Democrats, proved we stand behind the EU future of the Western Balkans not just in words, but also in deeds. Our political group made sure that the growth plan would promote democracy, human rights and gender equality in the region and progressively align it with the social, climate and environmental standards of the Union. We did it with the vote today in the plenary of the European Parliament and I am proud of the work done by the Socialists and Democrats during the negotiations on this matter.”

NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence (NATO StratCom COE) located in Riga, Latvia introduces its latest product aiming to change the way military and StratCom training is conducted. Information Environment Simulation Range (InfoRange) is a comprehensive simulated information environment training platform that merges the latest technology to upscale table-top exercises and offers opportunities for in-depth crisis or conflict training in a simulated, highly responsive digital information environment providing AI-generated real-life response from possible external actors and audiences. 

“As NATO StratCom COE we always challenge ourselves to create new solutions and opportunities to enhance StratCom capabilities. Right now, we have designed the InfoRange - an artificial information environment that seems and looks like a real one with audiences and actors that are driven by AI. This solution enables training for effective StratCom campaigns, defensive, and offensive operations in seemingly real-time environment to increase our joint strategic communications capability as NATO, allies and partners,” says Jānis Sārts, Director of the NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence. 

The InfoRange offers an opportunity to incorporate generative AI for both exercise design and audience application and aims to provide dynamic training opportunities through realistic simulation of information environment infrastructure. The product is developed together with frontrunners of the private sector and is designed to fit the needs of training audiences from all StratCom sub-disciplines – public diplomacy, civilian and military public affairs, InfoOps, and PsyOps. In cooperation with the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, the InfoRange will be implemented into the upcoming annual real-time network defence exercise Locked Shields 2024 aims to gather more around 4000 participants from 40 nations. Locked Shields 2024 will take place this week in Tallinn, Estonia. 

NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence is a NATO-accredited multi-national military organization, which is not part of the NATO Command Structure, nor subordinate to any other NATO entity. It is based in Riga, Latvia, and contributes to improved strategic communications capabilities within the Alliance and Allied nations. 

Locked Shields is an annual exercise organized by The NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence enabling cyber security experts to enhance their skills in defending national IT systems and critical infrastructure under real-time attacks.

Brussels, 24 April 2024 - COCERAL, FEDIOL, and FEFAC, representing the EU grain and  oilseed trade, the industry crushing oilseeds, refining vegetable oils and the animal feed  industry, endorse the political agreement reached on the CSDDD and therefore welcome  its adoption today by the European Parliament. We now look to the Council to formally  endorse the agreement. 

The compromise text is much closer to the international frameworks on due diligence, such  as the OECD and UN guidelines, which will allow companies to prioritise addressing adverse  impacts where the risks are most likely and severe and therefore require urgent attention. This targeted approach will help deliver the most impact. 

Furthermore, the recognition of independent third-party verification, including by industry  or multi-stakeholder initiatives, to support the implementation of due diligence obligations will facilitate compliance through their expertise and long-standing experience. Such multi stakeholder initiatives can also increase the leverage of companies to address impacts  through collective effort. 

In view of the expected final adoption and entry into force of the CSDDD, companies will  need to start preparing to implement the obligations of the Directive. To ensure successful  and timely compliance, we count on the Commission to provide practical and easy-to understand guidance and best practices well ahead of the date of application, namely on  how to conduct due diligence, including on prioritisation of impacts, appropriate measures  to adapt purchasing practices, information on responsible disengagement, appropriate  measures for remediation, and on how to identify and engage with stakeholders. Given the  specificities of bulk agricultural supply chains, we also urge the Commission to issue  agriculture-specific guidance.  

Member States should ensure there is no duplication of obligations with other EU legislation  covering due diligence obligations or complementing the CSDDD, such as the Forced  Labour Regulation, to prevent unnecessary burden and resulting loss of EU  competitiveness. Appropriate due diligence measures under the CSDDD should also be  considered as such in the Forced Labour Regulation, while guidelines issued under both  legislations should not contradict each other.  

Our companies look forward to constructive cooperation with the Commission, Member  State supervisory authorities, other companies, as well as other stakeholders to ensure  that risks in our supply chains are duly identified and properly addressed and to promote  an increasingly sustainable EU economy over time.

Brussels, 24 April 2024

Today, the European Parliament gave its overwhelming support to the agreement on the Regulation of Packaging and Packaging Waste (PPWR). Metal Packaging Europe (MPE) welcomes this vote as it represents a decisive first step towards the practical implementation of this new legislation, which helps to embrace the objectives of the Green Deal and the fight against climate change.

MPE applauds the introduction of a specific provision on recyclability. Rigid metal packaging already meets many of the sustainability requirements of this legislation: highly recyclable with high-quality recycling and already recycled at scale, with figures that exceed the recycling rates required for 2025 (78.5%1 for steel and 76%2 for aluminium cans). Introducing a definition of high-quality recycling is a commendable element as this notion was employed in previous packaging legislation and the Waste Framework Directive without being defined. 

Although MPE favoured a more ambitious implementation of the Deposit and Return System (DRS) for aluminium beverage containers, MPE welcomes the support of the two co-legislators for a mandatory DRS.

Nevertheless, MPE regrets the adoption of reuse targets as these measures do not consider the complementary nature of recycling and reuse or the contribution of existing highly recyclable and recycled packaging formats to the circular economy. MPE is concerned that this approach will favour specific materials on the market and may lead to an increase in non-recyclable packaging.

Looking ahead to the PPWR's implementation, MPE CEO Krassimira Kazashka emphasized collaboration: "MPE is hopeful that the specific characteristics of different packaging materials will be considered. Furthermore, effective involvement from various stakeholders is crucial for drafting these secondary legislative acts. By working together, we can ensure the PPWR's successful implementation and foster a sustainable future for packaging."

1Recycling rate for all steel packaging segments (2021) -https://www.metalpackagingeurope.org/article/apeal-steel-packaging-excee...
 

2Recycling rate for aluminium beverage cans (2021) - https://metalpackagingeurope.org/article/aluminium-beverage-can-recyclin...

MPE gives Europe's rigid metal packaging industry a unified voice by bringing together manufacturers, suppliers, and national associations (metalpackagingeurope.org).

For further information: info@metalpackagingeurope.org.