Due Diligence: A Compliance Standard for Responsible European Companies

After decades of debate, new global norms are emerging in the field of human rights that clearly define a company's social responsibility. The UN and the OECD have adopted these new standards which impose a due diligence duty on companies to avoid human rights abuses related to the corporate activities. But how well do the new standards fit with existing European law and policy governing responsible business? The paper examines some recent comparative law research, including topical legislation recently proposed in France