Dutch Bill on Responsible and Sustainable International Business Conduct
You can download the unofficial translation of the Bill for Responsible and Sustainable International Business Conduct here.
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You can download the unofficial translation of the Bill for Responsible and Sustainable International Business Conduct here.
The bill would oblige enterprises to conduct business with respect for human rights, the environment, and the climate in accordance with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
The bill has the potential to have a significant impact in improving working conditions, respect for human rights and the environment, and access to justice in global value chains, says SOMO
Minister De Bruijn’s decision follows last week’s news that the European Commission has delayed the announcement of a draft due diligence law.
In a debate in Parliament Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation announced that due to the "very disappointing" and "indefinite" delays at the European Commission, the Dutch government will immediately start work on ambitious national binding due diligence legislation.
Building blocks for due diligence legislation
In this piece, Jasper van Teeffelen from SOMO analyses VNO-NCW and BusinessEurope’s lobbying efforts to oppose mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence legislation in the Netherlands
Mandatory due diligence bill in Dutch parliament aligns closely with OECD Guidelines, say Joseph Wilde-Ramsing, Manon Wolfkamp and David Ollivier de Leth.
Unofficial English translation
The bill proposes a duty of care for all companies in the Netherlands and an obligation to conduct due diligence in accordance with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises for all enterprises with more than 250 employees.
The coalition of businesses, academics, religious organisations, trade unions and civil society are calling for legislation that ensures that companies will tackle the problems around human rights and the environment in their production chains.