BRUSSELS, Feb 9 — European Union countries postponed today a decision on a proposed law requiring large companies in the bloc to check if their supply chains use forced labour or cause environmental damage and rectify this if they do.

"The item of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (...) has been taken off today’s agenda and will be rescheduled to a date yet to be announced,” a spokesperson for the Belgian presidency said on social media platform X.

A "qualified majority” of 15 EU countries representing 65 per cent of the EU population is needed for the corporate sustainability due diligence directive to proceed to a final vote in the European Parliament. Lawmakers are expected to support it.

Today, it was not clear if a sufficient number of envoys from the 27 EU countries backed the law, with Germany abstaining. — Reuters