30-03-2017

The Swedish energy company Vattenfall has concluded an investigation into the human rights impact associated with coal mining in Colombia. PAX accompanied the investigators for part of their mission and witnessed first-hand their good, critical questions and that they allocated sufficient time for a thorough inquiry…PAX now looks forward to a proposal for how the energy and mining companies can move forward with compensating the victims of ´blood coal´ in Colombia…Two employees from Vattenfall spent three weeks in Colombia, including one week in the mining region of Cesar. The trip fulfilled a promise the CEO of Vattenfall’s Dutch subsidiary Nuon made on Dutch television that the company would investigate the human rights impact surrounding coal mining in Colombia…If Vattenfall makes these demands and applies economic pressure, it will be clear that they take corporate social responsibility seriously. PAX urges the other European energy companies – including RWE, EnBW and Uniper – to follow Vattenfall’s lead and conduct their own investigations.