Perspectives on the Omnibus Simplification Package and the Future of EU Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence and Reporting Directives

The Business and Human Rights Lawyers Association invites you to a timely member-only conversation moderated by Martijn Scheltema with Gabrielle Holly and Heidi Hautala. The one-hour webinar will examine the implications of the European Commission’s Omnibus Simplification Package for implementation of the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive. 

‍

This discussion will consider both the political and legal questions surrounding the Omnibus, including:

• What are the key forces driving the “simplification” of due diligence and reporting requirements? What are the next key phases in this process and possible trajectories? 
• How would the proposed “simplifications” affect existing and future due diligence and reporting practice – e.g., due diligence focus on first tier suppliers and “plausible information of adverse impacts” yardstick for diligence beyond tier one; simplified definition of stakeholders; proposed deletion of Article 29 harmonized liability; revision of ESRS reporting standards and narrower scope of value chain reporting?  

‍

Discussants:

• Martijn Scheltema, Partner, Pels Rijcken; Board Member, BHRLA

Martijn Scheltema joined Pels Rijcken in 1997 as a Supreme Court litigator. He handles cases in the area of private law in relation to the public sector, and expropriation. In addition, he handles cases concerning national and international commercial disputes regarding, inter alia, the annulment of arbitral awards and execution of arbitral awards and other judgments. Outside the Supreme Court practice, he also works on cases involving business human rights, climate change and Sustainable Development Goals. A unique aspect of this business human rights practice involves human rights and artificial intelligence. 

https://pelsrijcken.nl/en/people/martijn-scheltema

‍

• Gabrielle Holly, Chief Adviser of Human Rights and Tech and Business, Danish Institute for Human Rights

Gabrielle is a business and human rights specialist and an experienced commercial disputes practitioner having practiced at Magic Circle firms in Australia and the UK. Gabrielle's practice focused on business and human rights and public international law, advising companies and states on their obligations under international legal frameworks. She currently leads the work of the Institute on legal and regulatory developments of relevance to business and human rights. As a practitioner, Gabrielle has advised on matters in the business and human rights space, including on legal exposure for human rights and environmental impacts arising from extraterritorial activities and on the implementation of human rights frameworks. https://www.humanrights.dk/staff/gabrielle-holly 

‍

• Heidi Hautala, former Vice-President, European Parliament

Heidi is a former Vice-President of the European Parliament and a long-term MEP. In Finland, she has been a Member of Parliament and a Minister for Development Cooperation and State Ownership Steering. Human rights, transparency, global justice and the environment have always been at the heart of her work. During her last two terms at the European Parliament, she focused on promoting binding rules for Responsible Business Conduct. She created a cross-party working group on RBC and took part in drafting key legislation in this field, namely the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive and the Deforestation Regulation. https://www.heidihautala.fi/en/