EU urges action from member states in response to U.S. requests for business diversity policies
Denmark is pissed off at the US for threatening European companies that uphold diversity programs, a move by the new President Donald Trump to eradicate. Industry Minister Morten Bødskov has spoken out, calling for a united EU response to US warnings, stating, "A response must naturally be discussed with our European colleagues."
Danish businesses have reportedly received letters from the US Embassy, asking them to confirm they do not have pro-diversity policies. Søren Friis Larsen, USA country manager with the Danish Chamber of Commerce, said they have received advice from a handful of members on how to respond to these letters.
The Director of Consultation at the Confederation of Danish Industry, Kinga Szabo Christensen, expressed shock at the US attempts to interfere in European companies' management rights, stating, "We have never seen anything like this before."
France's foreign trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin was also shocked, calling the letters a request for companies to "renounce the inclusion policies" that are in line with French or European law. France, Belgium, and other countries have expressed concern and plan to push back on these contentious issues.
In the EU, legislation promotes diversity in corporate leadership and enhances companies' responsibility for the society they are part of. The United States' efforts to eradicate diversity programs can only be seen as yet another attempt at an American trade barrier.
But what about Germany and Portugal? Germany's BDI industry federation has urged companies to maintain diversity initiatives despite US embassy letters threatening contractual consequences. Similar warnings have reached Portuguese firms via the US embassy, which enforces Trump's Executive Orders requiring contractors to eliminate diversity programs. However, the European Commission hasn't issued a unified response to the diversity program warnings, Priorities like the $900 billion SAFE military rearmament plan are taking precedence over domestic social policies. The European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee has challenged the Commission's legal maneuvering on defense policy, demonstrating institutional willingness to push back on contentious issues.
Conflicting U.S. contractual demands and European stakeholder expectations leave European companies navigating a complicated landscape. France's foreign trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin said the letters are tantamount to asking companies "to renounce the inclusion policies" that are in line with French or European law. European countries plan to respond to these US threats and push back on the eradication of diversity programs.
- Denmark, France, Belgium, and other European countries are angry about the US threatening European companies that uphold diversity programs, as part of President Trump's efforts to eradicate them.
- Danish businesses have received letters from the US Embassy, asking them to confirm they do not have pro-diversity policies, which the Danish Chamber of Commerce finds shocking.
- The Director of Consultation at the Confederation of Danish Industry, Kinga Szabo Christensen, has expressed disappointment at the US attempts to interfere in European companies' management rights.
- The US's efforts to eradicate diversity programs can only be seen as another attempt at an American trade barrier, according to the EU, where legislation promotes diversity in corporate leadership and enhances companies' responsibility for the society they are part of.
- Germany's BDI industry federation has urged companies to maintain diversity initiatives despite US embassy letters threatening contractual consequences, similar to warnings reached Portuguese firms.
- The European Commission hasn't issued a unified response to the diversity program warnings, prioritizing the $900 billion SAFE military rearmament plan over domestic social policies.
- France's foreign trade minister Laurent Saint-Martin has stated that the letters from the US Embassy are essentially asking companies to "renounce the inclusion policies" that are in line with French or European law, and European countries plan to respond to these US threats and push back on the eradication of diversity programs.
