Economic Minister Kocher's clear position is important for localization – SPÖ continues its campaign against business and prosperity with an “anti-business proposal” in the EU subcommittee
Vienna (OTS/ÖVP-PK) – “In the interests of national and European business localization, there cannot and should not be approval of the current draft supply chain directive. Economy Minister Martin Kocher's clear position on this is important and deserves the support of all parties”, emphasizes ÖVP MP Carmen Jeitler-Cincelli during today's EU subcommittee meeting. The motion presented today by the SPÖ, to which Federal Minister Kocher must give his consent, “is a continuation of the social democratic anti-business campaign against companies and therefore against prosperity”. A “yes” to the current draft directive on supply chains would result in a bureaucratic avalanche, unmanageable liability obligations and therefore a blatant competitive disadvantage, especially for small and medium-sized companies. Jeitler-Cincelli continued: “We fully support the fight against child labor, the exploitation of workers and the destruction of the environment. But this requires regulations that come into force where there are complaints. The SPÖ should know this too.”
It is a fact that growth in Europe is significantly behind that of the US and Asia, which makes it even more important to “pay attention not to further weaken Europe’s position in the global economy by making new laws”. Therefore, the motto must now be “back to the negotiating table”; the current draft supply chain directive is “incomplete, unthought-out and therefore not capable of approval”. “This is demonstrated by the liability risks that arise as a result of the project. For example, companies would be liable for violations occurring many steps earlier in production at suppliers, as well as for subsequent steps in production. This is neither controllable nor reasonable for companies. With his position on non-approval, Martin Kocher is on the side of companies and therefore also on the side of location, employment and prosperity”, underlines the representative of the Popular Party.
Finally, Jeitler-Cincelli says: “Just as happened yesterday in the EU Committee of the Bundesrat, the SPÖ is showing today in the EU Subcommittee of the National Council that it cannot mean anything good for the Austrian and European economy. The People’s Party, on the other hand, is and continues to be the economy’s reliable partner.” (Conclusion)
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