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Policy coherence

All government policy related to companies should contribute to Corporate Accountability. Any policies that act as a barrier to Corporate Accountability should be changed. Far more policies could be used to support greater Corporate Accountability.

Examples of policies that act as a barrier include: trade and investment treaties, competition/anti-trust and tender rules, fiscal policy and the ‘corporate governance code’. Cooperation within a sector or within a supply chain is often necessary for due diligence and responsible management, which may conflict with competition/anti-trust rules. In such cases, adjustments should be considered.

The government could use fiscal policy to reward good corporate behaviour and to penalise poor performances. Adjustments should also be made to the Dutch fiscal system to prevent companies operating internationally from evading taxes.

Effective enforcement of responsible business conduct legislation

If legislation for responsible business conduct (RBC) is to be…

News / 22nd March 2021

Translation of the Bill for Responsible and Sustainable International Business Conduct

You can download the unofficial translation of the Bill for Responsible and Sustainable International Business Conduct here.

News / 11th March 2021

Dutch bill on Responsible and Sustainable International Business Conduct a major step towards protecting human rights and the environment worldwide

Today, four political parties submitted a bill on Responsible and Sustainable International Business Conduct in Dutch parliament. The bill proposes a duty of care for all companies in the Netherlands and an obligation to conduct…

News / 25th June 2019

MVO Platform position paper on certification and due diligence

The most important international norms for Responsible Business Conduct – the OECD Guidelines and the UN Guiding Principles (UNGPs) – require companies to perform due diligence in order to proactively identify, prevent and reduce risks…

News / 14th May 2019

The Netherlands takes an historic step by adopting child labour due diligence law

Amsterdam, 14 May 2019 Today the Dutch Senate voted to adopt the Child Labour Due Diligence Bill. In doing so, the Netherlands demonstrates that it is serious about combating child labour in global supply chains….

News / 12th June 2018

Dutch government puts trade objectives above responsible business conduct policies

While the new Dutch Trade and Development policy sets strong trade objectives, it shows little ambition regarding responsible business conduct. Although the Dutch like to see themselves as frontrunners on the issue of responsible business…

News / 14th August 2017

More Room for Sustainability Initiatives?

The article “More Room for Sustainability Initiatives?” by Dario Chiari frames the bill in its political and legal context, it summarises the conflict between competition law and sustainability initiatives in the Netherlands and explains how the bill intends to solve the conflict and its functioning. Lastly, it highlights some shortcomings and possible improvements.

Background

In 2015 a broad coalition, including business associations and NGOs called on the Dutch government to remove the barriers that competition law can create for collaborative sustainability and CSR initiatives.

Since then the Minister of Economic Affairs considered several solutions and came up in 2017 with a quite innovative legislative proposal; the ‘Bill room for sustainability initiatives’. This bill has recently been submitted to public consultation. Further decision-making on the bill will continue once the Netherland has a new government.

News / 29th April 2016