"EU trade committee backs mandatory conflict minerals scheme",

Voting yesterday, the International Trade Committee (INTA)...adopted a series of amendments to be voted on by a plenary session of the full parliament, probably in mid-May...But human rights NGOs, and the Greens/European Free Alliance group of MEPs, said the committee should have voted for a mandatory scheme that would have applied to the OEMs as well as the importers...The rules would “only apply to a limited number of firms that import raw materials and not target other companies in the supply chain,” said the Greens...The INTA also voted down amendments, extending the scope of the Regulation to include other minerals and metals...