The new Commission will be in front of a task to bring about a transformation, to bring Europe on a sustainable path. It will be absolutely necessary to ensure that private sector is operating within the planetary boundaries, and respects human rights.

The EU needs a horizontal mandatory human rights due diligence legislation. Moreover, it needs measures to ensure effective ability to access justice for those that are victims of corporate human rights abuses. As 70% of international trade takes place in global supply chains, it is necessary to properly regulate this trade.

The European Parliament’s responsible business working group launched a Shadow EU Action Plan for Business and Human rights that proposes a blueprint for the commission to implement in the next years. A lot of ground work has been done during this legislature. The new college of commissioners will have to bring this work into fruition.