Eu law on business and human rights

Transnational business activities can have an impact on the enjoyment of the entire spectrum of the internationally recognized human rights. Corporate violations of the rights to health and life, the core labour standards, and the rights of minorities, including indigenous peoples, have led to important legal disputes. These cases demonstrate the need to strike a balance between economic development on the one hand, and the implementation of sustainable development and the protection of the most fundamental human and labour rights and the environment, on the other hand. Given the complex structure of multinational enterprises, and their capacity to take advantage of the domestic legal and jurisdictional loopholes, the international legal framework is worthy of consideration in order to understand how business activities should be conducted. Since many multinational enterprises have their home corporations incorporated under the law of European countries, the European legal framework plays a crucial role in identifying the applicable rules and the available remedies for victims.

Detailed programme
- The international legal framework on business and human rights (B&HR)
- The State duty to protect human rights, with a focus on the European Convention on Human Rights
- Corporate responsibility to respect human rights and human rights due diligence
- Corporate social responsibility (CSR) and codes of conduct
- The EU legal framework on CSR and B&HR
- Access to remedies: the EU and US perspectives
- The attribution of jurisdiction and the applicable law in B&HR cases: private international law issues
- The ongoing negotiation of a binding treaty on B&HR.