Abstract

Codes of conduct for Multinational Enterprises (Mnes) were adopted by political organs of some relevant Intergovernative Organisations, such as Ilo and Oecd. The "balanced" content of the rules and their non binding character are common to these codes. Mnes observe the codes infra or praeter legem. Notwithstanding this limitation, the special rules for Mnes may be a relevant factor to enhance the effectiveness of general rules affecting a "common interest" of the international society. Particularly some rules concerning social policy and industrial relations promote respect for the so-called "core labour standards". When an organisation adopts a code, it establishes also a follow-up procedure in order to examine the impact of the code in the long term, both in general and in single cases. These bodies do not have a "judicial character", but only an "interpretative" function ensuring a more uniform application of the code throughout the world.