Initial Assessment 7 local suppliers of Pharmakina vs ING Groep N.V. and ING Belgium

The Dutch NCP has decided not to accept a notification from 7 local suppliers of Pharmakina (Democratic Republic of Congo) with regard to an alleged violation of the OECD Guidelines by ING Groep N.V. and ING Belgium S.A.

According to the notifying party, ING Groep N.V. and its subsidiary ING Belgium S.A., in the context of ING Belgium’s business relationship with Pharmakina, failed to carry out risk-based due diligence.

The notifying party states that with this ING Groep N.V and ING Belgium S.A. contributed to the alleged violation of their human rights by Pharmakina. The notifying party has a commercial dispute with Pharmakina. 

The NCP is of the opinion that the notification does not merit further consideration because the handling of this issue would not contribute to the purposes or the effectiveness of the Guidelines. The main reason is that the underlying issue of the notification is a commercial dispute between commercial parties. This falls not within the scope of the OECD Guidelines. By issuing this Initial Assessment, the NCP-notification procedure has ended.