Since July 2020, and after years of pressure and requests from civil society, the European Commission has been working on the text of an EU Directive aimed at limiting human rights abuses and environmental damage perpetrated by companies in the folds of their production chains.
Many companies are extending their value chains on an increasingly global scale and, along with production, are also delocalising their negative impacts and related liability.
Throughout the years there have been many lawsuits brought by victims of such abuses to remedy this situation of injustice and impunity, but the legal landscape in this field is complex and confusing. In most cases, courts declare themselves not competent and refer to their counterparts in the victims’ countries of origin, where the events took place. When they do manage to break through the gum wall of ‘non-jurisdiction’, it is not uncommon for the case to remain open for a very long time, risking the statute of limitations, or for adequate compensation not to be awarded at the end of the case.
With a strong EU directive, all companies would be obliged to carry out human rights and environmental due diligence to identify, prevent and mitigate abuses in their supply chains. At the same time, by assigning civil liability to European companies, judges will have the ability to assess the allegations of victims, both European and foreign, and sanction companies where they are found guilty of negligence, fault or even intent.
Impresa 2030 – is promoted by Mani Tese and a network of organisations historically committed to the promotion of social, economic and environmental justice. The aim is to put pressure on the Italian and European institutions that will be involved in the negotiation process of the future Directive so that its text is not distorted and weakened by the lobby of the industrial sectors that are most opposed to clear obligations and responsibilities.
This ideological opposition contrasts with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, approved in 2011 and based on three fundamental pillars
To support the campaign and keep up to date with developments in the approval process of the Directive, please sign the appeal at www.impresa2030.org.
