World
Governments support stripped-down corporate due diligence law
After weeks of uncertainty, new EU rules on sustainable supply chains seem likely to pass into law.
EU member states on Friday (15 March) have voted in favour of a landmark new law requiring companies to check supply chains for dodgy environmental and labour practices.
MEPs and government officials struck a tentative deal on the corporate sustainability due diligence directive, or CSDDD, in December – but its future was thrown into doubt after last-minute hesitation from Germany and Italy.
Now the measures seem likely to pass into law, after Italy approved a stripped-down version of the legislation at a regular meeting of diplomats in Brussels.
Environmental and social activists such as Oxfam and Amnesty International say the rules will stop corporations making profits from human suffering.
The European Commission has also said it will avoid companies having to navigate multiple, potentially incompatible, national rules within the bloc’s single market.
Belgium, which chairs the EU Council that represents member states, has worked over recent weeks to assuage national concerns over excessive red tape, tripling a threshold so the rules would only apply to companies with over €450 million worldwide turnover in its most recent attempt to overcome an impasse.
The latest draft removed civil liability provisions that would allow trade unions to sue noncompliant firms, a controversial measure which countries such as Finland opposed.
The rules still need to be voted on by MEPs, and April is the last chance for them to do so ahead of June elections.
The Council endorsement is a “victory in the fight to hold companies responsible for people and the environment,” parliament negotiator Lara Wolters (Netherlands, Socialists and Democrats) said in a statement. “It is high time to take a big step towards a fairer economy of the future.”
But others are less convinced, including in the parliament’s largest political grouping.
On Tuesday, Angelika Niebler (Germany/European People’s Party) argued the diluted plans would still indirectly impact smaller businesses, and could encourage some to pull out of the developing world all together.
Trump congratulates Colombia presidential candidate
Trump congratulated Abelardo De La Espriella, known by many as ‘El Tigre,’ following an initial ballot count. While not officially called, the narrow lead signals a potential rightward shift for Colombia. (Reuters.)
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Progressive candidate Iván Cepeda on Wednesday conceded Colombia’s presidential election to conservative outsider Abelardo de la Espriella, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump.
The concession came days after Cepeda initially refused to acknowledge defeat following preliminary results that showed de la Espriella as the apparent winner.
“At this stage of the vote count, I have decided to accept the result emerging from that process, which indicates that Abelardo de la Espriella is the new President of the Republic,” Cepeda said in an address to the nation.
“I do so as an act of democratic responsibility.”
TRUMP SAYS COLOMBIA’S ‘EL TIGRE’ WILL BE A ‘GREAT PRESIDENT’ AS SOCIALIST OPPONENT LAUNCHES LEGAL CHALLENGE
Ivan Cepeda speaks during a campaign rally in Cali, Colombia, on June 6, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)
De la Espriella, a businessman and lawyer who had never previously run for office, known to his supporters as “El Tigre,” defeated Senate member Iván Cepeda by one percentage point in a remarkably close election, according to officials.
“The vote count shows an extraordinarily narrow margin between the two options vying for the trust of the Colombian people,” he said. “Less than 1% of the vote separates the candidacies that participated in this contest.”
Despite his concession, Cepeda made serious allegations that de la Espriella’s victory was influenced by “foreign interference” by the United States and the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate voters.
“During this process, we denounced the open and improper foreign interference in Colombia’s internal affairs—particularly the interventions by the United States government, and specifically the interventions by President Donald Trump in support of Abelardo de la Espriella’s candidacy,” he said.
He further accused the opposing campaign of widespread vote-buying and unethical tactics that he said undermined the legitimacy of the election results.
ANTI-CARTEL HARDLINER CHANNELS TRUMP IN BID TO END COLOMBIA’S LEFTIST ERA IN PIVOTAL ELECTION
Abelardo de la Espriella delivers a speech to supporters during a campaign rally in Palmira, near Cali, Colombia on May 14, 2026. (Joaquin Sarmiento/AFP via Getty Images)
President-elect de la Espriella will begin his four-year term in August.
“Starting August 7, we will work with determination to consolidate a common agenda that strengthens the security, freedom, and prosperity of our nations,” de la Espriella in a post on X.
The result will effectively end outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s leftist influence on the state and the policies Cepeda had pledged to continue if he won the election.
Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro, left, and President Donald Trump are shown in separate photographs. (Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images; Francis Chung/Politico/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
A core pillar of Petro’s signature agenda was his “total peace” strategy, aimed at opening negotiations with remaining guerrilla forces, drug cartels, and armed paramilitary groups in an effort to end Colombia’s decades long internal conflict.
In contrast, de la Espriella has pledged a more hardline approach, including a militarized crackdown on criminal organizations, proposals to build mega-prisons, expand fossil fuel fracking, and revive the controversial practice of aerial glyphosate spraying to eradicate coca crops.
The president-elect, who holds dual Colombian and U.S. citizenship, has also said he plans to add Colombia to the Trump-dubbed “Shield of the Americas,” a proposed coalition aimed at coordinating efforts against criminal groups in Latin America.
Published on
Ten years after the UK voted to exit the European Union, the debate over Brexit’s legacy is far from over. MEPs Barry Andrews (Renew Europe) and Sander Smit (European Conservatives & Reformists) go head-to-head on whether Brexit has strengthened or weakened Europe—and whether Britain could or should one day return to the bloc.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
For Irish MEP Barry Andrews, the answer is clear. He argues that leaving the EU was a mistake and a “total disaster” for the UK, pointing to years of political instability and economic challenges since the referendum. He also contends that Brexit has ultimately strengthened support for the European project, stating that “there is nobody looking to leave the European Union anymore.”
Dutch MEP Sander Smit takes a different view, saying the EU still misses “the UK’s crucial voice for fiscal and financial discipline” and warning against a more centralised Europe. “Our future lies in a stronger partnership,” he says. “Let the UK and EU countries move beyond the past and work together as natural, sovereign allies.”
The Ring is hosted by Méabh Mc Mahon, produced by Luis Albertos Altarejos and Amaia Echevarria, and edited by Vassilis Glynos.
You can contact us at: thering@euronews.com
-
Technology10 minutes agoA new paper argues Microsoft exaggerated its quantum claims a year ago
-
World15 minutes agoColombia’s ‘El Tigre’ secures presidency as leftist rival finally concedes defeat
-
Politics22 minutes agoComer probes alleged Biden collusion with gun control activists in Glock lawsuit
-
Sports30 minutes ago2026 World Cup Third-Place Standings: Who’s In, Who’s On The Bubble
-
Technology37 minutes agoFCC phone ID plan could end burner phones
-
Business40 minutes agoSony Pictures invests $100 million in virtual reality venue Cosm
-
Entertainment45 minutes agoCulture Clash knows the end is near. It wants to go out with a bang
-
Politics55 minutes agoVice President JD Vance’s visit gives ‘The View’ a ratings boost
