Podiumsdiskussion: “Was sind uns Menschenrechte wert?”

In the organizer's words:

In the current global political situation, Europe must stand up more than ever for human rights-based values, democratic societies and a long-term stable and sustainable economic policy environment. Germany must also live up to its responsibility in the world with a new federal government.

The EU Supply Chain Directive is a way to ensure fair competition and uniform rules. It is intended to ensure that large companies are obliged to respect human rights and environmental standards and that companies can be held accountable in the event of violations.

However, voices are being raised that equate taking responsibility for human rights with excessive bureaucracy and want to water down or even abolish the Supply Chain Act and the Green New Deal under the argument of reducing bureaucracy.

How much bureaucracy are human rights and a healthy environment worth to us? Can bureaucracy reduction and human rights be combined? Is there even a contradiction here or is it just a construct?

We will discuss from various perspectives how the most important points of the Supply Chain Act can be preserved and how the EU can remain a reliable and fair trading partner for people all over the world.

In discussion:

• Sina Marx, Corporate Responsibility Officer, Femnet e.V.
• Prof. Dr. habil. Lisa Fröhlich, founder of the ispira think tank for sustainable supply chains
• Tim Stoffel, Policy Officer, Fairtrade Deutschland e.V.

Moderation: Anne Gebler-Walkenbach

The discussion will take place as part of the 10th Fair Trade Night. You can find more information about the program of the Fair Trade Night at https://koelnagenda.de/fair-trade-night-2025/.