Why Leaders Are Coming Together Ahead of the EU Omnibus Vote

Europe’s corporate leaders are facing a defining governance moment as more than 30 former EU officials and industry heavyweights unite to urge Parliament to protect the sustainability rulebook.

Ahead of a critical vote on the Omnibus package - pitched as a fast-track to competitiveness - the coalition warns that writing off core environmental and social safeguards would sacrifice long-term value for short-term speed.

Designed to simplify regulation across transport, chemicals, environment, financial services, artificial intelligence and defence, the Omnibus legislation promises to accelerate market approvals and ease compliance burdens.

But critics argue the current draft would dramatically roll back sustainability oversight, reducing businesses covered by environmental obligations by 80%.

It would also allow companies to scrap climate transition plans and avoid accountability for environmental damage.

Enrico Giovannini, former Italian Minister and Scientific Director of the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development, says: “Climate change is racing ahead, and politics is lagging behind. The focus should not be on how much sustainability will cost, but what value it will create for the future of Europe.

"If we accelerate the transition, Europe gains growth, innovation, and competitiveness. If we backtrack, Europe’s future is at risk.” 

For boards, the stakes are strategic, not merely regulatory. Sustainability has become a proxy for resilience, reputation and access to capital - drivers that directly affect growth and risk management.

Companies that integrate climate and social metrics into strategy routinely report gains in brand equity, customer loyalty and supply chain robustness.

Unpacking the letter

In a joint letter to the EU, leaders have come together to uphold the robust sustainability regulations which are currently threatened.

Msgr Michael Landau, President of Caritas Europe, says: “We call for the European Union to put human dignity, social justice and global solidarity at the heart of their policies. We need to move forward, not backwards, and ensure a policy framework that protects people and the planet, our common home."

Former EU leaders, Commissioners and major industry representatives signed the letter alongside Enrico and Msgr Michael, including:

• Alan Jope, former CEO of Unilever
• Josep Borrell, former EU Foreign Policy Chief
• Nicolas Schmidt, former EU Commissioner
• Sanna Marin, former Prime Minister of Finland
• Reiner Hoffmann, former President of the German Trade Union Confederation

Their collective argument is clear: competitiveness and sustainability are mutually reinforcing. Weakening rules now would undermine Europe’s progress on resilience and value creation, diminishing whatever economic gains a simplified framework might deliver.

“Weakening and delaying sustainability rules carries a price tag we cannot afford. Sustainability isn’t the burden—the burden is not being sustainable," warns Enrico.

Executive competitiveness around sustainability targets

The path for business leaders is clear: continue to shift to low-carbon operations and make their supply chains more transparent to give them competitive edge.

Linda Kromjong, amfori President, says: “Risk-based due diligence is informing strategic business decisions and supporting resilient supply chains. This is how policymakers can really support on competitiveness and create an enabling environment. Now is the time to act with business best interests at heart."

amfori is a global business association offering supply chain mapping and reporting in order to help deliver social, environmental and economic benefits for all.

Discussing the importance of the playbook, Sanna Marin, former Prime Minister of Finland, says: “There is only one way to a self-sufficient Europe: sustainability. These rules don't hold business back; on the contrary, they fuel our competitiveness.

"This is a strategic opportunity that lawmakers must protect if they also want a future-proof economy.”

While the Omnibus proposal seeks to cut red tape and speed market entry, opponents say the trade-off - especially on environmental, social and governance (ESG) protections - would weaken the EU’s global reputation and could risk safety standards, such as proposals that would reduce restrictions on cancer-causing substances in cosmetics.

The leadership choice now before Parliament is not whether to simplify, but how to simplify without eroding the standards that anchor Europe’s long-term resilience.

For Europe’s boardrooms, the message is aligned with investor expectations: keep transition plans on track, continue strengthening due diligence, and treat sustainability as a growth strategy.

The question before the EU - speed or resilience - will shape the operating environment for years to come. The coalition of the former leaders believe that accelerating the low-carbon transition and reinforcing climate resilience is the path to durable competitiveness.