A growing number of Member States are making progress in developing legally binding Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence frameworks based on the above standards. An EU-wide legislation applicable to all business enterprises domiciled or based in the EU, or active on the EU market, will help prevent human rights abuses and environmental harms while ensuring a level playing field within the EU, a coherent legal framework, and increase leverage over third parties in the value chain.

Action Aid, Amnesty International, Anti-Slavery International, Clean Clothes Campaign, CIDSE, European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights, European Coalition for Corporate Justice, FIDH, Friends of the Earth Europe, Global Witness and Oxfam have released a joint statement on the key principal elements that are needed for an EU mandatory due diligence legislation to promote businesses’ respect for human rights and the environment.