• Media

    European parliament votes for rules on corporate accountability and business transparency
    15 April, by European Coalition for Corporate Justice

    Brussels, 15 April 2014 - Today, the European Parliament (EP) adopted a reform to strengthen corporate accountability and transparency regarding the impact of businesses’ activities on human rights, the environment and society. The new legislation will require companies to disclose information about the policies and due diligence processes that businesses have in place to assess risks and to prevent adverse impacts of their operations.
    “This is an important step forward. The reform recognises that the environmental and human rights impacts of companies are of key concern for society as a (...)


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    Press release - Proposed EU law will not keep conflict resources out of Europe, campaigners warn
    10 March, by European Coalition for Corporate Justice

    A law proposed by the European Commission on responsible sourcing of minerals is not strong enough to prevent European companies’ mineral purchases from financing conflict or human rights abuses, and falls far short of expectations, campaigners said today.
    Instead of putting forward robust legislation that would require a wide range of EU-based companies to do checks on their supply chains – known as due diligence – the Commission today announced voluntary measures that will only apply to companies importing processed and unprocessed minerals into the European market. The proposal covers (...)


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  • Our activities

    Dutch National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights
    5 March, by European Coalition for Corporate Justice

    When dealing with the issue of human rights abuses related to businesses, we are often faced with the question where the responsibility of the state ends and that of a corporation begins. This dilemma has stimulated a critical debate that, after a long period of preparation, led in 2011 to agreements being made by the international community in the form of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs). These guidelines present an outline of the state’s obligations, i.e. the ‘duty to protect’, and of corporate responsibilities, namely the ‘responsibility to respect’. The UNGPs (...)


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    Access to Justice Project continued: “Civil justice in the Context of Transnational Business Activities & Human Rights”
    27 January, by European Coalition for Corporate Justice

    Victims of corporate human rights abuses often find that access to justice in their country is limited due to corruption, low standards of legal protection, lengthy trials, or lack of enforcement. However, many practical and legal problems remain and litigants face difficulties accessing justice. The EU and its Member States have committed to implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), which affirm that States should ensure the effectiveness of their judicial mechanisms when addressing business-related human rights abuses. This includes considering ways to (...)


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