Filip Gregor
Head of the Responsible Companies Team
Due diligence is a precondition for the sustainable activities as defined by the EU Taxonomy and green financing under the Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, including green bonds. Particular ESG due diligence requirements will be regulated by the forthcoming Sustainable Corporate Governance Directive. To help companies better understand its scope and to clarify its requirements, Frank Bold is hosting a webinar. It will feature international experts from companies such as Ericsson and outdoor clothing manufacturer Vaude. We invite you to join us on 26 January at 10 am CET.
The webinar aims to clarify the content of due diligence standards and, based on good practice examples, explain how companies can effectively implement them. The event will be of particular interest to public administration, the business sector, banks, and investors. And mainly for the stakeholders from the Central and Eastern Europe.
1. Principles of due diligence, 10:00 - 11:00 AM
→ Legislation and expectations, Lucie Slavíková, Ministry of Justice, Czech Republic
→ UN and OECD due diligence standards and their application in practice, Rachel Davis, Shift
→ Implementation of the new German legislation and good practice, Susanne Gasde, Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Germany
→ Case studies: what is considered as good and bad practice, Filip Gregor, Frank Bold
2. Experience of companies with practical application; Q&A 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
→ Théo Jaekel, Corporate Responsibility Expert, Ericsson
→ Bettina Roth, Head of Quality Management & CSR Supply Chain, Vaude
→ Julien Lavarini, Responsible Supply Chain Manager, Lorenz
The European Commission is planning to publish its Sustainable Corporate Governance proposal and submit it to Parliament and Council in February 2022. A key element of this proposal should be rules on sustainability due diligence, based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and OECD standards. In the context of the EU's sustainable finance strategy, due diligence is one of the pre-conditions for the sustainable activities as defined by the EU Taxonomy Regulation and green financing under the SFDR, including green bonds.
The proposal should clarify how companies should approach the identification and management of significant negative impacts on people and the planet related to their business model and value chains. Due diligence is a risk-oriented process. Its requirements are based on the company's position, its involvement in adverse impacts, and its ability to influence these impacts.
During this webinar, we will explain due diligence standards and companies will share their experience with the practical implementation of the German legislation and of the UN and OECD standards , including how their meaningful implementation supports better business governance.
The Brussels office of the public interest law firm Frank Bold is currently recruiting an Events and Communications Intern to start in mid-March on a 3-5 day/week basis, for a period of three months, with the possibility of a three month extension.
Bucharest: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) confirmed this week [1] that it has suspended plans to finance the refurbishment of the Turceni coal power plant in Romania [2]. The project is currently subject to a number of legal challenges on environmental grounds and Romanian authorities are investigating allegations of corruption at the plant.
The respect of human rights is the most fundamental value that we have as a society. Nevertheless, economic globalisation has lead to the massive exploitation of human rights in developing countries for the benefit of multinational enterprises (MNEs). The outsourcing and offshoring of production and services have had huge environmental and social costs.
