The Europe Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR) and Foodwatch, as well as three citizens and two municipalities in the department of Izabal (southwestern Guatemala), filed a complaint against the Edeka retail group at the end of February 2025 with the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA). This complaint concerns the environmental, human and social failings identified at the indirect subcontractor Naturaceites SA. The move also stems from the retailer’s lack of response to an initial complaint, which was addressed to the company directly by the same complainants on 31 January 2024. For its part, the BAFA is responsible for the control procedures falling under the German supply chain due diligence act passed in 2021 (LkSG) and called into question these last months.
As a Berlin correspondent for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business and labour market. My areas of interest include co-determination, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.