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 fundamental rights (such as the rights to health and life), the core labor 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 human and labor rights and the environment, on the other hand. The course focuses on the main international and European legal instruments regulating the activities of multinational corporations, the most relevant legal disputes, and the innovative solutions currently under negotiation by the EU and the United Nations.

Detailed program:
- 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 and its case-law
- Corporate responsibility to respect human rights
- Corporate social responsibility vs. human rights due diligence
- Human rights due diligence: domestic, European and international developments
- Access to remedies: the EU and the US perspective and case-law
- The attribution of jurisdiction and the applicable law in B&HR disputes: private international legal issues
- Climate change litigation
- Towards a European directive on corporate sustainability due diligence
- The negotiation of a UN binding treaty on B&HR