The new Government in Finland has committed to mandatory HRDD legislation at national and EU level. The Government’s programme (released in June 2019) has set the goal to adopt mHRDD legislation. In particular, the programme says that (unofficial translation):

“The government will conduct a study with the goal of adopting a mHRDD law. The law is based on a due diligence obligation that covers both domestic and transnational activities. The study will be conducted with employers’ associations, entrepreneurs associations and employee organizations, taking into consideration the position of SMEs". A similar goal is being promoted at the EU level, where the government commits to “explore the possibility of an EU-wide mHRDD law which takes into account companies of different sizes and global value chains”.

The government’s commitment to HRDD legislation results from a civil society national campaign which has been calling form mHRDD legislation since September 2018. The coalition campaign, coordinated by ECCJ member Finnwatch, comprises over 140 members, including NGOs, trade unions and companies.

Read the Government’s programme (in Finnish) here.