Dr. Chris O'Connell:

I disagree. Sure, there are changes, but if we go back to 2013 and trace things through, there was a clear consensus about the need for this. We are talking about 0.05% of companies in the Single Market. We are talking about the largest, richest and most powerful companies. Mr. Fitzpatrick can speak further to this. The CSDDD was the product of long, slow and painful legislating at EU level that involved significant consultation with all stakeholders. The standard that is set there is a reasonableness standard, which links into the core values of the European Union and its member states. There is no doubt that these geopolitical changes are occurring. However, is that to come at a cost to garment workers in south-east Asia and indigenous peoples in Guatemala and other places where we work? That is the real question. We do not see the obligation on companies as being overly burdensome. We feel it is proportionate and appropriate to the risks that continue to be there.