On 27 November, we
will host a digital discussion on Germany’s approach to
corporate (ir)responsibility for human rights violations and environmental harms in the supply chains of German businesses. This event aims to analyse the
evolution of the business and human rights policy discussion in Germany
and its influence on the wider European debates on mandatory human
rights due diligence EU legislation. Germany is the EU’s economic
powerhouse and a trading giant, hence its position on the
(ir)responsibility of corporations for human rights risks and harms
throughout their supply chains has major consequences for the EU and
beyond.
Background
Currently, Germany is debating the adoption of a supply chain law or Lieferkettengesetz. This would mark the end of a long political and legal struggle, which started in 2016, when the German government
adopted its National Action Plan (NAP) 2016-2020. Germany’s NAP, like
many others, counted on voluntary commitments from businesses to
implement human rights and environmental due diligence throughout their
supply chains. Unlike other NAP’s, the German one also included a
monitoring process, which tracked the progress businesses made during
that four-year period.
The final report, which was published in September,
showed that only roughly 13-17% of German businesses implemented the
voluntary due diligence measures encouraged in the NAP. On the basis of
these rather disappointing results, as required by the coalition
agreement between the two governing parties, a draft for a Lieferkettengesetz
should have been presented to the Cabinet this autumn. However, the
Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, backed by business lobby
groups, strongly opposes any form of civil liability for human rights
violations committed within supply chains and managed until now to delay
the process.
Our discussion aims to review these developments and highlight the key drivers behind the (slow) movement towards a Lieferkettengesetz. Weaving
political insights with legal know-how, our speakers will provide a
comprehensive overview (in English) on Germany’s positioning in the
business and human rights discussion and its potential influence on the
future trajectory of a European legislation.
Speakers:
Moderator:
To register for this event, please click here. You will receive a link before the start of the event.
For enquiries, contact conferencemanager@asser.nl
Winter academy: Due diligence as a master key to responsible business conduct
On 25-29 January 2021, The Asser Institute’s ‘Doing business right’
project is organising an online winter academy on ‘Doing business
right: Due diligence as a master key to responsible business conduct’.
This academy brings together students, academics and professionals
from around the world and provides a deep dive into the due diligence
process as a strategy to achieve responsible business conduct.
Learn more and register here.