ECCJ has joined over 80 NGOs and trade unions to call on the European Commission to bring forth this term new corporate accountability legislation requiring companies to respect human rights and the environment in their global value chains and operations.

Civil society organisations are launching this demand the day after members of the European Parliament (EP) asked the Commissioner-designate for Justice, Didier Reynders, what steps he would take in order to ensure that companies operating in the EU adhere to human rights and environmental standards, and to ensure access to justice for victims of corporate abuse.

While Mister Reynders acknowledged that voluntary measures are not working to promote more responsible business conduct, civil society strongly expects that his office will deliver a legislative proposal for EU due diligence legislation in this legislative term.

Signatory Organisations and Networks:

Clean Clothes Campaign

Anti-Slavery International

CIDSE

European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ)

Front Line Defenders

France Amérique Latine (FAL)

Notre affaire à tous

CCFD-Terre Solidaire

Rethinking Value Chains collective

Banana Link

Réseau des Organisations de la Société Civile pour le Developpement du Tonkpi (ROSCIDET)

Commerce Équitable France

Collectif Ethique sur l’étiquette

Trócaire

Ligue des droits de l’Homme (LDH)

VOICE Network

ReAct

Comité Pauvreté et Politique

Max Havelaar France

Comité pour l’abolition des dettes illégitimes (CADTM)

International Dalit Solidarity Network (IDSN)

Robin Wood

CORE

ShareAction

INKOTA-netzwerk

Human Rights International Corner (HRIC)

Amis de la Terre / Friends of the Earth France

Aitec

Attac France

Sherpa

Friends of the Earth Europe

Amnesty International

International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)

World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

Action Aid International

Brot für die Welt

Terre des Hommes France

Global Witness

Bischöfliches Hilfswerk MISEREOR

European Trade Union Confederation

European Environmental Bureau

Fair Trade Advocacy Office

FERN

Entraide et Fraternité (Belgium)

Latinamerikagrupperna

Max Havelaar Netherlands

Union Sindical Obrera (USO) Spain

11.11.11, Belgium

PIHRB (Polish Institute for Human Rights and Business)

Fairtrade Finland

SÜDWIND e.V., Germany

Global Aktion (Denmark)

Südwind

UNISON

PowerShift

Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom Netherlands

International Dalit Solidarity Network

Fairtrade Germany

GLAN | Global Legal Action Network

Fairtrade International

ActionAid France

NaZemi

Ecologistas en Acción

La campaña No a los Tratados de Comercio e Inversión

Traidcraft Exchange

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre

The Hunger Project – Germany

DKA Austria

UNIEuropa

European Federation of Building & Woodworkers (EFBWW)

European Public Service Union (EPSU)

European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT)

European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF)

industriAll

European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE)

Bangladesh Center for Workers’ Solidarity (BCWS)

Bangladesh Revolutionary Garment Workers Federation (BRGWF)

Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers’ Federation (BGIWF)

National Garments Workers Federation (NGWF)

Friends of the Earth Sweden

FairFin

MANI TESE (Italy)

World Fair Trade Organization – Europe (WFTO-Europe)

Policies for Equitable Access to Health (PEAH)

Oxfam

NeSoVe – Netzwerk Soziale Verantwortung

Weltladen-Dachverband e.V