Athens, 21 April 2022

Inter-Parliamentary Conference of the European Parliament Committees on Legal Affairs and Human Rights

The Inter-Parliamentary Conference of the European Parliament Committees on Legal Affairs (JURI) and Human Rights (DROI) on "Corporate responsibility for serious human rights abuses in third countries", took place on Holy Thursday in Brussels.

Mr Konstantinos Kyranakis, MP, represented the Hellenic Parliament and participated remotely, elaborating upon the Commission’s recent Proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence to tackle human rights and environmental impact across global value chains, mainly focusing on ensuring EU-based companies’ operating in third countries compliance with sound labor and environmental standards.

All participants agreed on the proposal’s major importance, as a first step to be followed by other non-EU countries, aiming at eliminating phenomena such as forced or child labour. However, criticism was also expressed regarding the proposed provisions’ limited scope (companies with more than 500 employees and a turnover of € 150 million), also over the fact of ignoring gender dimension and over the room given to companies for circumventing obligations arising from the directive by blaming subcontractors and suppliers.

Mr Kyranakis stressed the Greek Government initiatives towards the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights' effective implementation, the promotion of equality and the protection of vulnerable groups. Our country's Action Plan for Corporate Social Responsibility 2020-2030, he added, aims to support socially responsible entrepreneurship, develop tools to strengthen social cohesion and address current challenges in the fields of the economy, environment and society, and moreover promote alignment with the European Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, respond to pandemic challenges and developments and pursue the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals Agenda.

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