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Referendum: Switzerland decides against more responsibility for corporations

2020-11-29T15:54:13.674Z


Swiss companies do not have to be liable for environmental damage and human rights violations abroad. A corresponding referendum failed due to resistance from the cantons.


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Switzerland remains different

Photo: Valentin Flauraud / picture alliance / dpa

In the future, Swiss companies cannot be held liable in their own country for environmental damage or human rights violations that they have caused in other countries.

The initiators of a corresponding proposal failed in a referendum on Sunday.

According to initial projections, supporters and opponents of the »corporate responsibility initiative« were still head to head.

Under Swiss law, however, initiatives are only successful if the majority of the cantons agree.

By the afternoon, a majority of the cantons counted had already voted no.

Disappointment in environmental and human rights organizations

The rejection comes as a bit of a surprise.

Pre-polls saw a majority in favor of the proposal - which made the activists even more disappointed.

Supporters included more than 130 church organizations, aid agencies, environmental and human rights organizations.

You wanted to impose a new duty of care on Swiss companies for doing business abroad.

If there were defects there, the companies should be able to be sued in Swiss courts for damage caused by subsidiaries or suppliers along the supply chain.

In addition to the government, the economic association Economiesuisse was among the opponents.

He had condemned the initiative as "radical, unrealistic and arrogant".

You put Swiss companies under general suspicion.

Alternative law without sanctions

Instead, a weakened law comes into force that the government has already passed through parliament:

  • Companies must therefore watch over the activities of their subsidiaries and business partners abroad, exercise due care and report.

  • This law does not provide for sanctions.

  • Subsidiaries and suppliers are still liable for damage they cause themselves and abroad in accordance with the law applicable there.

In addition to corporate responsibility, another initiative was rejected: According to initial projections, 58 percent of voters voted against a "ban on the financing of war material producers".

The proponents of this initiative wanted the National Bank, foundations and pension funds to no longer be allowed to invest in companies that generate more than five percent of sales from the production of war material.

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rai / dpa

Source: spiegel

All business articles on 2020-11-29

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