The Council of the European Union is a pivotal institution in the governance framework of the EU, wielding significant influence over the bloc’s political landscape and legislative agenda. Comprising the Heads of State or Government of the 27 member states, alongside the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, the Council sets the direction for the EU’s collective action and endeavours, putting its stamp on the directives and legislative measures that impact the lives of almost half a billion people across the continent. 

After the European Parliament votes through a file, talks in the Council generally define the end game in adopting a new rule. However, recent deliberations within the Council have starkly highlighted the institution’s failure to foster solidarity and progress in the EU, exposing the Council’s inability to prioritise essential issues such as women’s rights, sustainability, and worker protections and quashing all attempts to orient EU policy around the needs of the many. 

Instead, the Council’s proceedings have become mired in a quagmire of conflicting interests and self-serving agendas among member states. This has led to the perpetuation of a system where the voices of the marginalized and oppressed are silenced in favour of maintaining the destructive neoliberal status quo. As the Council continues to prioritise the demands of corporate interests over the well-being of citizens and the planet, its decisions pose a grave threat to people and the planet.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

One of the latest major texts to be adopted, with real success, is the directive on violence against women. This is a significant step forward for women’s rights and, for the first time, a European text that seeks to tackle gender-based violence. Even though several member states, including France, absurdly managed to exclude the notion of consent from the definition of rape. The Council weakened the ambition of the European Parliament, and it was a blow for French President Macron when even MEPs from his political group and national party came out against his backward position on the definition of rape.. 

La Directiva de violencia contra las mujeres será la primera norma comunitaria para combatir la violencia machista.

Se trata de un paso gigante en favor de millones de mujeres en la Unión Europea, donde solo hay dos leyes de violencia de género 👇 pic.twitter.com/XK7CGOuCZs

— M. Eugenia R. Palop (@MEugeniaRPalop) February 7, 2024

CORPORATE SUSTAINABILITY DUE DILIGENCE 

The long-awaited European directive on due diligence was supposed to put an end to the impunity of multinationals that violate human rights and damage the environment by identifying the negative impact of their activities. But member states again failed to back the measures in a secret vote on February 28th. This European law was set to allow for the imposition of sanctions against multinationals, their subcontractors and suppliers who fail to respect human rights and the environment.

In massive textile corporations like Shein, working conditions are disgraceful, mainly because of the fast fashion business model, which is to produce more and more no matter the impact on workers and the planet. The environmental and social impact of these companies is an aberration. 

After several postponed votes on this text, last-minute demands from member states for changes to the scope of the directive and to exclude 98% of the companies concerned formed an excessive challenge to the compromise agreement.

This directive, needed by millions of workers, is now stuck in EU institutional limbo. The Left demands that it be unblocked and adopted to put an end to corporate impunity. 

Je dénonce le blocage par Macron & ses alliés du devoir de vigilance 🇪🇺.

"Si la directive échoue, il aura du sang sur les mains. Celui des ouvriers morts au Qatar, des enfants des mines du Congo, des Ouïgours esclaves pour le profit des multinationales"⬇️https://t.co/ZPau328Ohw

— Manon Aubry (@ManonAubryFr) February 29, 2024

PLATFORM WORKERS 

The Platform Workers Directive is quite a different story. A key Left demand for years, MEP Leila Chaibi drove the campaign to get the 28 million people working for digital platforms in the EU better pay and working conditions. 

A compromise could still be found if France, Greece, Estonia, and Germany stop blocking efforts to defend workers at the EU level. But again, the European Parliament, the EU’s only democratically elected institution, which, throughout three years of negotiations, has been seeking to protect labour standards.  is being held hostage..

E. Macron bloque seul la directive pour les travailleurs de plateformes. Alors hier, nous sommes allé lui remettre son badge de lobbyiste pour Uber à la Représentation de la France🇫🇷en🇪🇺.

L'Ambassadeur a bien ressenti dernière nous la pression de tous les travailleurs ubérisés pic.twitter.com/AdxZNvonG3

— Leïla Chaibi (@leilachaibi) February 23, 2024

Save the date: there will be another vote on this crucial topic on March 11th. We will keep pushing and fighting for better working conditions for workers. We will not let Uber make the law.