It was a commitment when the grand coalition was set up two years ago. Put in place a law on corporate vigilance. A principle enacted by a UN resolution of 2011 and which concerns "corporate social responsibility" (CSR). Large companies must therefore ensure that human and environmental rights are well respected throughout the production and supply chain by the parent company as well as by subcontractors. 

Today, German companies are committed without constraints. They self-assess. But only a minority actually play the game and answer the annual questionnaire provided. A new questionnaire made public this Tuesday shows it again. Hence the will of the Ministers of Labor, Hubertus Heil, and of Development, Gerd Müller, to resort to the law. 

A law that raises an outcry from employers' organizations but also from the Minister of the Economy, Peter Altmaier, who judges that in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, this is not the time, and that a law does not would make sense if it were taken at European level. 

France, for its part, was a pioneer in legislating on the subject, with a law known as the Rana Plaza, in reference to a drama that occurred in Bangladesh in 2013, where more than 1,000 workers died in the collapse of a workshop of clothing. But this law is today criticized by many companies, including Sherpa or CCFD-Terre, in solidarity, who deem it not sufficiently respected and not very transparent. 

The France 24 week summary invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 app

google-play-badge_FR