Germany's Merz urges EU to scrap green business rules

Brussels, Belgium: Germany s new Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday called on the EU to ditch landmark new rules on environmental and human rights su...

Brussels, Belgium: Germany's new Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday called on the EU to ditch landmark new rules on environmental and human rights supply chain standards as part of its push to cut red tape for firms.

The rules have been attacked as too burdensome for businesses as the bloc throws all its energy into making its companies more competitive in the face of fierce competition from China and the United States.

"Some regulations need to be reduced," Merz said during his visit to Brussels.

"We hope that we'll be able to repeal certain directives," he said, citing in particular the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD).

The set of rules requires large companies to fix the "adverse human rights and environmental impacts" of their supply chains worldwide.