The European Union is a hotbed of regulatory activity, with new laws and directives constantly reshaping the business landscape. These changes can seem overwhelming, but understanding them is vital for any company operating in or interacting with the EU market.

This post highlights key EU regulations that we’ll explore in more detail during our upcoming session, “The EU Regulatory Survival Guide: Your Essential Guide to EU Compliance,” at the 2024 NAVEX Next Virtual Conference on September 19, 2024.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the most impactful regulations on the horizon:

1. Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD): Transparency is paramount

The CSRD introduces stricter and more standardized sustainability reporting requirements for large companies. It aims to ensure that companies provide detailed and comparable information about their environmental, social and governance (ESG) impacts.

Key requirements:

• Detailed accountability reporting on a range of ESG topics, including climate change and footprint, human rights, diversity and more. No stone left unturned!
• Adoption of standardized reporting metrics to facilitate comparison and prevent greenwashing. This levels the playing field and makes it easier for stakeholders to assess your company’s true impact
• Expanded scope, now including listed SMBs and large non-EU companies with significant EU operations. So, even if you’re not headquartered in the EU, you might still be caught in the CSRD’s net

2. Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD): Accountability across the supply chain

The CSDDD makes companies responsible for human rights violations, environmental abuses and other unethical behaviors that arise within their supply chains. In other words, what happens in supply chains doesn’t stay out of sight, and companies are to be held responsible for the unethical behaviors (and associated consequences) of their vendors and third parties.

Key requirements:

• Identify, prevent, and mitigate human rights and environmental impacts within your operations and those of your supply chains. It’s time to get to know your suppliers (and their suppliers!) a little better
• Accountability for adverse impacts, even if they occur deep within your supply chain. “Plausible deniability” is no longer a valid defense
• Public communication of due diligence efforts and assessment outcomes – transparency is key, even if it means airing some dirty laundry

3. German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG): Setting a global standard

Germany’s Supply Chain Due Diligence Act sets a high bar for responsible business conduct, impacting companies even outside of Germany if they have ties to the German market. It requires proactive monitoring and addressing of human rights and environmental risks in supply chains.

Key requirements:

• Ensure respect for human rights and environmental standards throughout supply chains, from raw material extraction to final product delivery – no turning a blind eye to shady practices
• Establish risk management systems to identify, assess and mitigate potential adverse impacts. It’s all about being proactive, not reactive
• Provide accessible and effective grievance mechanisms so that affected parties can raise concerns and seek redress, giving a voice to those who need it

4. EU Whistleblower Protection Directive: Encouraging a speak-up culture

The EU Whistleblower Protection Directive aims to safeguard individuals who report misconduct. While the EU provides guidelines, adoption varies across member states, with some exceeding minimum standards and others facing controversy around whether they meet the required standard.

Key requirements:

• Establish confidential and secure channels for reporting misconduct
• Follow set steps and timelines for handling whistleblower reports, communicating with subject(s) of a report and undertaking investigations – no rug-sweeping or waiting for things to blow over
• Protect whistleblowers from any form of retaliation – from harassment and silent treatments to demotions and termination
• Foster a culture of openness where speaking up is valued and protected

5. The EU AI Act: Navigating the AI frontier

The EU AI Act aims to balance the benefits of artificial intelligence with its risks. It introduces a risk-based framework, imposing stricter requirements on high-risk AI systems that could impact safety, free will or fundamental rights.

Key requirements:

• Categorize AI systems based on their potential risks – not all AI is equal, and some types and uses require more scrutiny than others
• Promote ethical AI development and deployment, ensuring we are building and using AI that serves humanity, not the other way around
• Ensure transparency in AI decision-making and implement human oversight mechanisms to keep humans in control. We don’t want to wake up in a sci-fi dystopia!

The EU regulatory landscape is constantly shifting – but with the right knowledge and strategies, these changes can be opportunities to stand out and deliver on new demands for accountability and transparency, rather than obstacles to business-as-usual.

View original article at Risk & Compliance Matters