"Attribution de la compétence à un tribunal judiciaire : les parlementaires sauvent l’esprit de la loi sur le devoir de vigilance !", 21 octobre 2021

[Unofficially translated from French]

...deputies and senators decided in favour of human rights and the environment concerning Article 34 [of the Duty of Vigilance Law]... The debate followed a dangerous turnaround in the Senate, which, under pressure from lobbies, had adopted an amendment entrusting the Paris Commercial Court with jurisdiction to hear disputes based on this law.

By establishing the jurisdiction of the judicial judge, members of parliament decided to facilitate access to justice for people whose rights are threatened or have been violated as a result of the activities of French multinationals...

Members of parliament recognised the true meaning of due diligence...The opposite decision would have had the consequence of approaching the law from a commercial stand, at the risk of reducing due diligence to a simple risk management exercise, and sow new pitfalls in the quest for justice for people whose rights are violated by multinationals...We hope that this choice will be taken into account in the decisions expected over the coming months in ongoing litigations...