In a move that echoes one made on this side of the Atlantic, the European Commission plans to review – and possibly eliminate -- regulations that it says are hindering business growth and job creation. In a reaction that echoes some heard on this side of the Atlantic, labor and workers’ rights advocates are not happy about the plan.

The European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament have reached agreement on a new Directive that addresses the risks of major accidents from offshore oil and gas operations in EU waters.

Two clothing factories in Bangladesh and Pakistan were inspected for safety conditions by independent auditing firms prior to 2012 fires that killed hundreds of employees, according to a new report by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations (SOMO).

The European Commission has announced plans to amend five health and safety at work Directives, in order to align them with the Globally Harmonized System (GHS), but critics charge that the changes won’t make workers any safer.

In your view, what are the big issues to watch out for in 2013? I think that climate change is going to be a big issue. That’s partly for the same reasons. There’s also a growing recognition of the effects that a change in climate is going to have on business.

Climate change could have a significant impact on worker productivity – particularly in certain parts of the word, according to a study published in the March issue of the journal, Nature Climate Change.

A proposed “carbon tax” would have a “devastating” impact on manufacturing and jobs, according to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), responding to climate-change legislation introduced recently in the Senate.

Senators Barbara Boxer (D-California) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) have introduced in the Senate comprehensive climate change-related legislation that includes two measures: a Climate Protection Act which would impose fees on major greenhouse gas emitters and a Sustainable Energy Act that would end subsidies to fossil fuel companies.

Increasingly, businesses are outsourcing their activities and processes. But what implications does the growing importance of supply chains have for working conditions? A new report from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) sheds light on occupational safety and health (OSH) within these complex networks of suppliers and service providers.

SocialFunds.com reports that sustainable investors, more than most of the major stakeholders in what it calls the “rapidly unfolding climate change crisis,” want corporations to account for unsustainable business practices and advocate effective legislative and regulatory measures.