Ursula von der Leyen receives Charles Prize - Protests for Green Deal!

Ursula von der Leyen receives Charles Prize - Protests for Green Deal!

Aachen, Deutschland - On May 29, 2025, Ursula from the Leyen in Aachen will be awarded the Charlemagne Prize. This honor is awarded to her for her crucial influence on the European Green Deal, the aim of which is to make the EU climate -neutral by 2050. However, the time proximity to this award raises questions, since the Leyen recently presented a proposal, the essential components of one of the most important laws of the Green Deal, the corporate sustainability diligence Directive (CSDDD).

Ursula von der Leyen, born in Brussels, is the first woman and the second German in the position of the EU Commission President. Their choice in 2019 was shaped by the promise to create a "united and strong Europe". Since taking office, she has campaigned for Ukraine to demonstrate solidarity during the Ukraine War. Her trips to Ukraine, the enforcement of sanctions against Russia and the management of accession talks are part of their politics, which highlights crisis management as one of their strengths. These times that are shaped by Corona pandemic and the Ukraine War have made the EU member states move closer together.

Criticism of new legislative proposals

the CSDDD, adopted in June 2024, obliges large companies to respect human rights and environmental standards in their global value chains. This marks a significant change from voluntary standards towards legal responsibility. But a year later, from the Leyen plans to reduce central elements of this law. If the proposed changes come into force, the civil liability of companies and the comprehensive duty of care in the supply chain could be omitted.

These developments are reason for serious concerns, since there is a risk that the implementation of climate protection plans of the companies and the basic human rights in global supply chains will be endangered. Serious human rights violations such as life -threatening working conditions, child labor and pollution are widespread in these value chains. Human rights organizations, unions and numerous companies have recruited the introduction of the EU Lief chain law and now demand that Ursual from the Leyen does not lose sight of the original goals and values ​​of this law.

protests in Aachen

On May 29, not only the award is celebrated by the Leyen. Individual and in groups, a civil society alliance, including the Initiative Zuugettengesetz, will protest in Aachen and demand a significant change of course from the President. The protesters hope that maintaining the original CSDDD shows that the Leyen does not forget the basic values ​​of sustainability and human rights that led to its introduction.

The reactions to this change of course show the split attitude within the EU and also within its own party, the FDP, which the Leyen did not support in their re -election. The changes that she introduces in her new commission contradict the originally desired goals of the Green Deal. For the next four years, the Leyen will have to work on the challenge of making the EU safer, more successful and climate -friendly without endangering the significant progress that has been achieved so far.

like Tageschau.de , today's award ceremony will not only be an award of the success, but also a test stone for the future policy of Ursula von der Leyen with regard to the complex interaction between business, Environmental protection and human rights.

The tension in Aachen could further sharpen the expectations of European citizens of their political leaders. The question remains how the Leyen will be right and whether it can continue to hold up the EU's values ​​in the implementation of her political agenda.

It should also be noted that and hrw.org/de to the critical voices that make the contradictions between the Leyens and simultaneously planned returns of the green. emphasize. It remains to be seen how she will meet these challenges and criticism from civil society.