News | 11 May 2022

An effective EU supply chain law? Germanwatch and more than 200 other organisations clarify what this means in practice

On 23 February 2022, the EU Commission published its long-awaited proposal for an EU supply chain law. The European Parliament and the EU Council – including a number of German government representatives – are now discussing the draft law. Together with more than 220 civil society organisations from Europe and the rest of the world, Germanwatch clarified which changes the Commission's proposal needs from the perspective of civil society.

Climate Laws in Europe

04.05.2022
Front Page Climate Law Briefing
Essential for achieving climate neutrality

This report gives an overview of the climate law situation in each of the following countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, North Macedonia, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Some of the participant countries have a climate law, for some it is in the pipeline and for others it is a bottom up push from civil society.

Press Release | 28 April 2022

European Union: Rules for Batteries Should Cover Bauxite, Copper, Iron

Pressemitteilung
Joint press release by Germanwatch and others: New Law Includes Obligation to Address Abuses in Battery Supply Chains

The European Union’s proposed batteries regulation should require importers and manufacturers to source the bauxite, copper, and iron used in batteries responsibly, a coalition of 16 organizations said today. The coalition includes Amnesty International, Earthworks, Finnwatch, Germanwatch, Human Rights Watch, Inclusive Development International, INKOTA, PowerShift, RAID, SOMO, and Transport & Environment, as well as human rights and environmental activists from producer countries.

News | 27 April 2022

Open letter to the legislators in the EU: The universal right to freely choose operating systems, software and services

Title page open letter

The European Union is in the process of redefining the ecodesign criteria for products in several legislative proposals. Together with 37 European organisations and companies, Germanwatch publishes an open letter calling on legislators in the EU to make use of the historic chance by introducing the universal right to install any software on any device, including full access to hardware.

Blogpost | 05 April 2022

Risk or resilience? G7’s 2022 crises response can pave the way

Foto Börsenzahlen

Image: Shutterstock

With the war against Ukraine dragging on for over a month now, the vulnerabilities of the G7 and, particularly, of low- and middle-income countries have become increasingly visible. As leading industrialised countries and, historically, major contributors to the climate crisis, the G7 will need to live up to their responsibility to support countries in building resilience to climate impacts and other global crises. In this blog, we outline possibilities for the G7 to address the vulnerabilities in their own countries, and far beyond, to increase resilience against future crises while also supporting other nations.