ABOUT BOOK

The capacity to abuse, or in general affect the enjoyment of human, labour and environmental rights has risen with the increased social and economic power ~that multinational companies wield in the global economy. At the same time, ~it appears that it is difficult to regulate the activities of multinational companies ~in such a way that they conform to international human, labour and environmental ~rights standards. This has partially to do with the organization of companies ~into groups of separate legal persons, incorporated in different states, as ~well as with the complexity of the corporate supply chain. Absent a business ~and human rights treaty, a more coherent legal and policy approach is required. ~Faced with the challenge of how to effectively access the right to remedy in ~the European Union for human rights abuses committed by EU companies in ~non-EU states, a diverse research consortium of academic and legal institutions ~was formed. The consortium, coordinated by the Globernance Institute for ~Democratic Governance, became the recipient of a 2013 Civil Justice Action ~Grant from the European Commission Directorate General for Justice. A mandate ~was thus issued for research, training and dissemination so as to bring ~visibility to the challenge posed and moreover, to provide some solutions for ~the removal of barriers to judicial and non-judicial remedy for victims of business related ~human rights abuses in non-EU states. The project commenced in ~September 2014 and over the course of two years the consortium conducted ~research along four specific lines in parallel with various training sessions across ~EU Member States. ~The research conducted focused primarily on judicial remedies, both jurisdictional ~barriers and applicable law barriers; non-judicial remedies, both to company based grievance. The results of this research endeavour make up the content of ~this report whose aim is to provide a scholarly foundation for policy proposals ~by identifying specific challenges relevant to access to justice in the European ~Union and to provide recommendations on how to remove legal and practical ~barriers so as to provide access to remedy for victims of business-related human ~rights abuses in non-EU states.