CDH wants to make ArcelorMittal pay for extraordinary damage

The CDH (Democrat-Humanist) party has introduced a bill in parliament to “ensure fair compensation for serious and extraordinary damage caused in the context of the social responsibility of companies”. It means companies would be held responsible for any damage they caused by moving to another country or implementing mass redundancy schemes, CDH MPs Christian Brotcorne (pictured) and Joseph George told La Dernière Heure, giving ArcelorMittal as a prime example. They want to allow the government to take a mortgage on a company’s assets to claim compensation for any damage caused by the company, whether economic, social or environmental. Judges would then determine on a case-by-case basis if the damage was severe and abnormal. The proposal is at its embryonic stage and it is not thought it will prevent the arrival of other companies on Belgian soil. The other parties from the governmental coalition have not yet formally responded.