Speaking today in a seminar organised by the S&D Group in the European Parliament on UN guiding principles, National Actions Plans and best practices by corporates, Elena Valenciano, S&D MEP and chairwoman of the subcommittee on human rights said: 

"The relationship between business and respect of human rights is, for the S&D Group and for the European Parliament, paramount and must be taken seriously into account by all corporates.

"The respect for human rights in business should be a pre-condition for any EU support to the private sector, reporting obligations for companies, private sector partnerships between businesses and NGOs, as well as the inclusion of CSR clauses and impact assessments in trade and investment negotiations."

S&D MEP and DROI coordinator Antonio Panzeri, who chaired the discussion on how can affect people benefit from a binding instrument, added:

"States should take appropriate steps, in line with their human rights obligations, to ensure that people affected by business-related human rights abuse have access to effective remedy: judicial or appropriate non-judicial means.

"Moreover, States should take the necessary steps to protect against business-related human rights abuses through legislation, policy measures and regulation as well as with accountability mechanisms. It seems logical that a company which has caused or contributed to an adverse human rights impact should cooperate in its remediation through legitimate processes."

Richard Howitt MEP, parliament's longstanding rapporteur on corporate social responsibility and S&D Group foreign affairs coordinator, stated:

"European countries must not neglect the state duty to protect human rights in the UN Guiding Principles, and must build on new EU requirements the S&D Group has championed on non-financial reporting, by bringing forward other measures to ensure legal accountability for transnational corporations, where human rights are violated. 

"Our Group supports European concerns that there must be no loss of momentum in implementing the Guiding Principles and that all businesses, not simply transnationals, must respect human rights, but we strongly advocate that the European Union must fully engage in the UN Working Party on a binding instrument. 

"The UN guiding principles are the floor and not the ceiling, nevertheless they are the only international instrument so far and all EU Member States must complete action plans, to which the EU as a whole is committed."