"EU must give assurances on the morality of trade in natural resources", 29 Oct

Resources from the Global South extracted by Europeans were used to fuel the biggest wars and conflicts of all time...[T]hose resources then helped build your peace and prosperity. I challenge [European governments] to be...consistent actor[s] for peace also beyond Europe, taking your part of responsibility so that resources in Africa, Asia and Latin America no longer fuel conflict on our continents, but rather contribute to our own prosperity. When it comes to European companies trading in our resources, we hope that the draft “conflict minerals” regulation...will be at least as strict as our own supply chain due diligence legislation...Together with 70 fellow bishops from four continents, I have signed a Church Leaders’ statement, supported by the international alliance of Catholic development agencies CIDSE, highlighting aspects to be strengthened if the regulation is to bring tangible change to suffering communities. We ask...European governments to meet the expectations of EU consumers, who want assurances that the resources in their mobile phones, computers or cars are not linked to human right violations and conflicts.