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EVENTS

From Transposition to Transformation: Designing and Enforcing Effective National HREDD Laws

Business and Human Rights

Date: 8 May 2026

Time: 9.00 - 16.30 (Local time)

Venue: NOVA School of Law, Lisboa, Portugal

  

Event Details

Following the adoption of the final text of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) in February 2026, EU Member States have entered the critical phase of transposition into national law. While the directive sets the harmonized standard, the effectiveness of these rules relies heavily on how they are integrated into national legal frameworks and subsequently enforced.

Building on last year's workshop, which navigated the immediate regulatory landscape amidst the uncertainty surrounding the CSDDD adoption, this year's event shifts focus to how it must be transposed and implemented to drive meaningful change. Policymakers are now tasked with ensuring that national transposition does not result in a "tick-box" compliance exercise. This requires drafting laws that address systemic root causes - such as purchasing practices and living wages - and establishing robust enforcement architectures. Furthermore, the ecosystem surrounding these laws (including supervisory authorities, intermediaries, and multi-stakeholder initiatives) must be strengthened to support companies, particularly SMEs, in meeting these new obligations.

Objectives

This roundtable aims to support EU policymakers in the technical and practical aspects of transposing the CSDDD. The specific objectives are:

  • To identify the core building blocks required in national legislation to ensure due diligence translates into meaningful practice (e.g., responsible purchasing,living wages).
  • To define the role and powers of Supervisory Authorities necessary for effective enforcement and administrative supervision.
  • To explore the "enabling ecosystem" needed to support implementation, including the role of Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives (MSIs) and capacity-buildingmeasures for SMEs.
  • To facilitate peer-to-peer learning among policymakers on complex transposition topics such as civil liability, climate obligations, and access to remedy.

Programme Overview

09:00-09:30: Introduction and Opening Remarks

09:30-11:00: Session 1 - Designing Effective National HREDD Laws
Ensuring national transposition embeds the core elements needed for meaningful due diligence.

11:30-13:00: Session 2 - Enforcement and Implementation of HREDD
Ensuring laws are effectively applied and supported in practice.

14:00-15:30: Open Space Discussions with Policymakers
Interactive exchange to explore key issues in the national transposition of HREDD.

Expected Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will have a clearer understanding of the legislative mechanisms needed to ensure effective CSDDD transposition. They will exchange concrete strategies and identify shared approaches to common legal challenges. As with last year's workshop, we also expect to produce a series of policy briefs capturing the key insights and practical recommendations emerging from the discussions (see here, for example).

Co-organised by

  • the NOVA Centre on Business, Human Rights and the Environment (NOVA BHRE),
  • the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (BIICL),
  • the HIVA Research Institute for Work and Society (HIVA) & the Leuven Centre for Global Governance Studies (GGS) at KU Leuven,
  • the UN Development Programme (UNDP),
  • Global Rights Compliance (GRC), and
  • Westfälische Hochschule (WH).

 
Organising committee

Claire Bright, Jasmine Elliott, Alina Ganser, Sofia Gonzalez De Aguinaga, Huib Hyse, Axel Marx, Kari Otteburn, Irene Pietropaoli, Andreas Rühmkorf, Lara Strangways, and Olena Uvarova.

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