"EU governments in danger of missing crucial opportunity to reduce global conflict", 1 Feb 2016

…Global Witness warns that the EU governments’ proposed conflict minerals law would have extremely limited impact and fall well below internationally agreed standards…The law…would fail to cover companies importing products that could contain conflict minerals and also drastically lowers the standard of due diligence expected from manufacturers and traders…“…EU leaders…[a]re failing to help change a trade which is driving conflict, corruption and instability around the world…”…said Emily Norton, Conflict Resources campaigner at Global Witness. “…[N]ot checking whether your supply chains are financing conflict or fuelling human rights abuses is unacceptable…” Documents seen by Global Witness show EU member states proposing a voluntary conflict minerals law which only covers companies importing raw forms of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold and ignores those bringing products containing those same minerals, such as cars, laptops and mobile phones… The Council’s approach is directly at odds with the EU Parliament’s vote, in May 2015, for a compulsory due diligence law for the minerals sector that would cover both importers of raw minerals and products containing those minerals. The Parliament’s vote for a mandatory law echoed calls from almost 150 religious leaders, global investors, business leaders and companies, as well as over 150 international campaigning organisations.