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How Does the Financial Sector Relate to the European Commission’s Proposal For a Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive?

In the last few years, there has been a significant momentum behind imposing mandatory obligations on multinational enterprises (MNEs) to respect human rights and the environment. In 2017, France became the first Member State of the European Union (EU) to adopt and implement legally binding obligations on MNEs with the Loi de Vigilance. Following France’s footsteps, Germany adopted a law, Lieferkettengesetz, in 2021. Other Member States also got mobilized to adopt such laws, now the proposals being in the pipeline (The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria). Consequently, the EU started to work on legally binding rules as well to create legal certainty and a level playing field between the Member States. As such, the work of the European Commission produced the Draft Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive in 2021. Furthermore, in December 2022, the Council adopted its position on the Commission Proposal. However, the road to the Council’s position generated much discontent among the Member States, especially regarding the Council’s proposal to leave it up to the Member States to…

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Of Mazes and Layers: Can a UN Convention on Tax Change the Rules of the Game?

The Maze Last month, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly’s Economic and Financial Committee (Second Committee) tabled a draft resolution calling for the elaboration of a UN convention on international tax cooperation. Lauded by civil society as “a chance of legitimate, inclusive rule-setting” the initiative is yet to be remarked on, or acknowledged by,…

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Challenging the Olympic Charter at the Swiss OECD National Contact Point

In January 2020, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued guidelines to clarify the content of the controversial Rule 50 of the Olympic Charter (OC). Rule 50 prohibits any ‘kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda in any Olympic sites, venues or other areas’. It was introduced to the OC during the 1970s, following one of…

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