On 3 March, the Federal Cabinet adopted an act on corporate due diligence in supply chains. This represents an important step towards German businesses assuming full and proper responsibility for the supply chains associated with their goods and services. The move puts Germany in a group of...

The promotion of public-private cooperation in resource-rich countries of the Global South can serve as a flanking measure that strengthens the impact of supply chain laws. The case of the South African mining sector in its struggle against Covid-19 shows that close cooperation between...

The German government intends to establish standards for responsible sourcing of metals, and laid out its objectives in a position paper in January 2023 ("Paths to sustainable and resilient raw material supplies"). German firms source much of the metals they use through traders, exchanges and...

When it comes to being supplied with raw materials, Europe faces a number of challenges. These include the diversification of European supply chains, the implementation of effective sustainability standards, and the reduction of strategic dependencies on China. What will European-Chinese raw...

In December 2018, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) and opposition party, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), passed an amendment to the constitution in the South African Parliament. It was intended to give concrete form to existing options to expropriate land without compensation. The...

In early August 2019 the president of Mozambique and the leader of the largest oppo­si­tion party signed a new peace agreement. This has revived the peace process between the Mozambican National Resistance (RENAMO) and the Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO), which has been in power since...

Pretoria, 12 February 2024: During a ceremony, the German Minister of Health and his South African counterpart sign the "Together We Care" agreement on the training and assignment to Germany of 20,000 South African nurses. 'Together We Care' is part of a comprehensive cooperation agreement....

Political and social relations in South Africa are eroding. This is the result of structural changes and concurrent developments that mutually reinforce each other. Any hopes of generating tourism revenue in the months of November 2021 to February 2022 have been dashed by the international...

In July 2024, the European Union (EU) and the Serbian government signed a strategic raw materials partnership. For the EU, this cooperation represents an important step towards diversifying its supply chains and strengthening economic partnerships in its neighbourhood. Serbian President...

A succession of disruptions to world trade have put the reorganisation of inter­national supply chains high on the political agenda. The difficulties began with the trade war between the United States and China, deepened with the Covid-19 pan­demic and culminated in the sanctions and...