... the EU is looking at making multinationals responsible for human rights — and perhaps environmental violations — throughout their supply chains. This turns the issue from a trade thing into a due diligence corporate governance thing and puts it into the enthusiastic hands of Didier Reynders, the Belgian justice commissioner, who is super-keen. ... At an EU level, assuming they will be compulsory, the rules could be implemented by expanding existing corporate reporting requirements. More excitingly, the EU could create mandatory due diligence as a legal standard of care for companies to “identify, prevent, mitigate and account for actual or potential human rights and environmental impacts”, with serious fines for violation.

www.ft.com/...