Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 March 2019
Botnia S.A./Metsä-Botnia Oy's construction of the Orion pulp mill in Uruguay raised concerns regarding violations of national, regional, and international law with regard to social and environmental protection. On 18 April 2006, the Center for Human Rights and Environment (CEDHA), an Argentinean non-governmental organisation, submitted to Finland's National Contact Point (NCP) a “specific instance” regarding the possible non-compliance of Botnia S.A. (a Finnish enterprise) with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (OECD Guidelines for MNEs, Guidelines) when building the envisaged pulp mill in Uruguay. According to the Center for Human Rights and Environment, Botnia S.A. violated the OECD Guidelines for MNEs especially with respect to Chapter II “General Policies”, Chapter III “Disclosure”, Chapter V “Environment” and Chapter VI “Bribery”. Specific instances concerned with related issues were filed by the Center for Human Rights and Environment with the Swedish and Norwegian NCPs against Nordea, a leading financial services group of the Nordic and Baltic Sea area, for possible financing of Botnia S.A.'s pulp mill project and against the Finnish state bank Finnvera for providing export guarantees to Botnia S.A. Other fora that have in the meantime become involved in the issue are the International Court of Justice and member institutions of the World Bank Group, the International Finance Corporation and the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency.
1 OECD Watch, Quarterly Case Update, spring 2007, available at: http://www.oecdwatch.org/docs/OW_quarterlycaseupdate_english.pdf, at 4–5. For the statement of the Finnish NCP on the issue see Ministry of Trade and Industry, Finland's National Contact Point's Statement on the specific instance submitted by CEDHA, an Argentinean non-governmental organization, regarding Botnia S.A./Metsä-Botnia Oy's Pulp Mill project in Uruguay, 21 December 2006, available at: http://www.oecdwatch.org/docs/CEDHA_Botnia_FinnishNCP_statement.pdf.Google Scholar
2 OECD, Working Party on the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, The OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises: Review 2000, DAFFE/IME/WPG(2000)9, 8 September 2000 (Ministerial Booklet). This document reproduces the text of the Ministerial Booklet published at the 2000 Ministerial Council Meeting containing the Declaration on International Investment and Multinational Enterprises, the Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises (Part 1), the Decision of the OECD Council and the Procedural Guidance (Part 2), and Commentaries (Part 3).Google Scholar
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