The Council of the European Union has called on the European Commission and Member States to promote human rights in global supply chains and decent work worldwide.
Specifically, the Council has asked the Commission to launch an EU Action Plan focused on shaping global supply chains sustainably, promoting human rights, social and environmental due diligence standards and transparency by 2021. This includes a call for a proposal from the Commission for an EU legal framework on sustainable corporate governance, including cross-sector corporate due diligence obligations along global supply chains.
The Council has also called on Member States, in accordance with their competences and national circumstances, to step up their efforts to effectively implement the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, including through new or updated National Action Plans containing a mix of voluntary and mandatory measures.
The new Council conclusions come as the COVID crisis has worsened the situation of parts of the workforce in the global supply chains and has led to a sharp decline in working hours and substantial losses in labour income globally.
For more details, please view the full text of the Council conclusions.