EurAc and Fatal Transactions believe that the EU institutions and member states must step up their efforts to increase transparency and good governance in the artisanal mining sector in eastern DRC. Action is needed at numerous levels in terms of: encouraging EU companies trading in certain minerals to undertake adequate due diligence; support to certification and mapping efforts on the ground in eastern DRC; the reinforcement of Congolese state capacities to administer the mining sector; and support programs aimed at increasing socio-economic benefits from mining at community level.
The report discusses the socio-economic consequences of the suspension of artisanal mining in 2010, instigated by the DRC president, and a subsequent de facto embargo, as most international mineral traders abstained from returning to the DRC in reaction to Section 1502 of the American Dodd-Frank Act.
This group of 58 European and global non-governmental organisations including EurAc calls on the European Commission to adopt legislation requiring European business entities to conduct supply chain due diligence in order to ensure that they do not contribute to conflict financing or human rights abuses in the production and trade in natural resources.
The new European Parliament has a critical opportunity to strengthen legislation proposed by the European Commission and create responsible mineral supply chains for Europe. In its current form the Commission’s proposal, a voluntary scheme open to a limited number of companies, is weak and unfit for purpose. EurAc is calling on MEPs to amend the draft legislation so that it legally requires companies to check their supply chains and identify and mitigate risk – a process known as due diligence – in line with existing international standards.
The vote in the European Parliament on 20 May has set out key principles for a due diligence system that would align the EU with global efforts to tackle a minerals trade linked to conflict, corruption, and human rights abuses. It would set a practical due diligence standard, secure a level playing field for EU companies and investors, and ensure the EU pursues a coherent and integrated approach to many of its development and foreign policy objectives.
Minerals are key components in many everyday products, from mobile phones, laptops, and jewellery, to cars and light bulbs. In too many cases, however, the extraction and trade of these resources is linked to conflicts and human rights abuses. Civil society organisations have been documenting the links between minerals and these abuses for years, from their role in funding violent armed groups to the use of child labour in mines. But these abuses persist, and companies are still buying and using such minerals without assessing and addressing these risks. It is time to change the status quo. It is time for EU governments to take effective legislative action to ensure companies source minerals responsibly, transparently and sustainably.