Sustainable Corporate Governance: A Way Forward
Nordic & European Company Law Working Paper No. 21-03
Forthcoming in European Company Law
European Corporate Governance Institute - Law Working Paper No. 583/2021
20 Pages Posted: 7 Jan 2021 Last revised: 29 Apr 2021
Date Written: January 4, 2021
Abstract
The recently published ‘Study on directors’ corporate governance duties and sustainable’ prepared by Ernst and Young for the European Commission (EY report) has attracted many comments, largely critical. Despite all the justified criticism of the EY report, the potential of company law to make companies more sustainable should not be overlooked. In this article, we advocate the use of procedural regulatory instruments, such as disclosure or consultation requirements. Since the impact of procedural rules on sustainable governance is hard to predict, we also advocate a regulatory mix that may have a combined positive impact. Different procedures may affect different areas of the business of a company. Even if it is challenging to calibrate the variety of potential regulatory instruments, such a mix seems to be the best way forward at this point in time.
Keywords: Corporate governance, regulatory instruments
JEL Classification: K22
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation