ABSTRACT
The chapter discusses the European Union’s approach to business and human rights (B&HR) in the intersection of international law and global governance. It focuses on the European contribution to two UN-driven processes: the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) through National Action Plans and the negotiation of an international business and human rights treaty. The chapter argues that the EU should assume a more proactive position in exploring complementarities between these processes to resolve collective action problems that result from the exposure of the state-centred conception of international law to the human rights impacts of global business operations.
