Emmanuel Macron called for the abolition of the CSDDD after initially supporting it. Have you been able to find out more about the reasons for this U-turn?
For several months now, the French president has been sceptical about the due diligence directive. He has now made a rather radical statement, which I do not agree with. I believe that the text needs to be simplified and that the necessary steps must be taken to make it workable. However, I believe that having rules on responsible capitalism is both in line with our values and our interests. It is therefore necessary to have a European text on the subject, particularly because it is extraterritorial, whereas French law, for example, is not. This makes it possible to use the power of the single market to impose rules on countries that sell to us, whether it be China, for example, or other players that are known to fall below the social and environmental standards that we consider to be minimum standards. Many member states also think so.
Negotiations are continuing, including within the Council of the EU. The government’s official position has not changed. Raising the threshold for the application of the directive to companies with 5,000 employees is France’s long-standing position, as the government has always wanted to Europeanise the French law, which applies at this level.
