European Parliament to Vote on “Duty of Vigilance” Directive, Which Consolidates Large Corporations’ Responsibility for Human Rights and Environmental Protections

It’s a coincidence, but on Tuesday 25 April, one day after the tenth anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh, the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee must vote on a compromise text on the “duty of vigilance”. This directive, which aims to oblige large companies to ensure that their activities respect human and environmental rights in their value chain, was adopted in February 2022 by the European Commission. European employers are watching very closely the amendments made by the co-legislators (Member States and MEPs), since they will determine the responsibilities of companies after the entry into force of the law.

According to our information, the MEPs of the JURI Commission will vote on several provisions which should irritate the Member States. They thus widened the scope of the directive, so as to include companies with more than 250 employees and 40 million euros in turnover, as well as parent companies (consolidated groups) with more than 500 people. and 150 million turnover. This is to prevent a group made up of many modestly sized subsidiaries from escaping any obligation.