‘We are ending the Green Deal!’: far-right MEPs celebrate as EU Parliament rejects latest sustainability simplification text
The consensus text criticised for watering down corporate sustainability requirements had been approved by centre parties in committee last week, but MEPs narrowly rejected it in a plenary vote yesterday.
A proposal to further simplify EU corporate sustainability regulation was rejected yesterday by the EU parliament.
Following the so-called ‘Omnibus’ package of proposals presented in February by the European Commission to simplify corporate sustainability reporting laws, lawmakers in committee last week agreed on an amended text that would push simplification further, driving critics to say “everything is being watered down”.
The proposal included further narrowing the scope of companies covered by the laws, removing requirements for systematic assessment of supply chains’ harmful impacts, and maintaining the scrapping of an EU-wide civil liability provision to hold companies accountable.
Centre and centre-left parties had backed the proposal put forward by centre-right MEP Jörgen Warborn, fearing that centre-right parties could vote with the far-right on a hardline agreement, which would equate to a “total dismantling” of flagship laws that require companies to report on their own impact and to disclose and prevent any harm caused by their supply chains.
However, MEPs narrowly rejected the text in a plenary vote yesterday, with 318 votes against, 309 in favour and 38 abstentions. The vote took place via a secret ballot.
EU parliament president Roberta Metsola said the text would be put on the agenda of the next plenary session (12-13 November) for debate, and deadlines for amendments would be open.
The announcement of the result triggered a standing ovation from far-right MEPs, who saw it as a further step towards ridding the EU of sustainability regulations altogether and the broader ‘Green Deal’ agenda (a series of policy measures aiming to make the bloc carbon neutral by 2050). Mary Khan (pictured top), German MEP from the Alternative für Deutschland party, who campaigned against the text, hailed the vote as a victory for the far-right.
“We Are Ending the Green Deal!” she wrote on X shortly after the vote.
“With the so-called Green Deal, the EU Commission under Ursula von der Leyen has laid the foundation for Europe’s economic decline. Our companies have been burdened with endless bureaucracy and enormous costs.[...]
“The new right-wing majority has cleared the way to finally remove the bureaucratic requirements for a large number of businesses and truly relieve the economy!”
Who wins? 
Roberta Metsola speaks at a press conference following the vote on Wednesday © European Union 2025 - Source : EP
Metsola, speaking at a press conference following the vote, said: “Today’s vote showed that for a huge majority of parliament, this compromise simply didn’t go far enough, and for some sections, it went too far from the status quo.”
Campaigners who criticised February’s proposals for watering down corporate sustainability requirements said it was a chance to salvage the original sustainability laws. The European Coalition for Corporate Justice, a campaign group backing stronger laws for corporate accountability, said: “This rejection reopens a negotiating platform that gives pro-EU forces a chance to find common ground – instead of letting the pressure of climate deniers and corporate lobbies dictate the outcome.
“The [Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive] must remain a strong, enforceable law that delivers justice for victims and accountability for companies.
“We call on policymakers, businesses, and civil society to work together during upcoming trilogues, transposition, and implementation of the CSDDD to keep human rights, environmental integrity, and access to justice at the heart of EU sustainability policy.”
This rejection reopens a negotiating platform that gives pro-EU forces a chance to find common ground
Warborn, who led the negotiations on the text in committee, blamed the centre-left Socialists and Democrat MEPs (S&D Group) for allegedly changing their position.
Posting on X, he said: “The EPP [centre-right] Group has demonstrated great flexibility and made substantial compromises to reach an agreement with the platform groups to enter into interinstitutional negotiations for the so-called Sustainability Omnibus. Unfortunately, S&D MEPs challenged the negotiation mandate.
“Given today’s tight vote in plenary, their support could have made the decisive difference. It is now for the S&D Group to clarify its position and explain its commitment.
“However, today’s outcome will not deter us from our goal to reduce unnecessary bureaucracy and deliver tangible results for European companies.
“Strengthening competitiveness, cutting costs and creating the right conditions for businesses to thrive remains our priority. Businesses need clarity, it would have been very important to give this clarity today. But we are committed to find a new solution in November.”
Top image: Mary Khan speaks in the European Parliament on Wednesday 22 October. © European Union 2025 - Source : EP
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