Ref. Ares(2019)2457395 - 08/04/2019
Petition “TELL EU LEADERS TO STOP
CONFLICT MINERALS”
Subject: Stand up in favor of an ambitious regulation on « conflict minerals »
Dear Madam, Dear Sir,
The “conflict minerals” regulation is currently being negotiated between the European
Parliament, the European Commission and the 28 EU Member States. The stated objective is to
break the links between natural resources and conflicts, as is the case in the east of the
Democratic Republic of the Congo but also in Myanmar or Colombia. Confronted today with
violence and abuses by armed groups, it is the local populations that are paying the price for the
exploitation of certain natural resources.
While I welcome this initiative from the European Union, I am concerned about the position
adopted by the Council on 17 December 2015, in which EU Member States only propose a
voluntary opt-in system that ignores the vast majority of minerals entering the EU market within
finished or semi-finished products. As a citizen, I am deeply worried that the products I buy might
hide a story of suffering; I therefore want to ask for a legislation that ensures that the products I
use daily do not fuel violence and abuses. I demand a legislation that put at its core the ethical
dimension of production and trade.
For the legislation to truly contribute to breaking the links between natural resources and
conflicts, I call on you to:
1.
Show leadership on this issue by supporting mandatory due diligence requirements along
the entire supply chain.
2.
Support a Regulation that aligns with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance on Conflict
Minerals, by:
o
Ensuring that all due diligence obligations are consistent with the OECD
standards
o
Engaging companies downstream of metal importers, in particular companies that
place products containing covered minerals on the EU market
o
Including language that reflects the flexible and progressive nature of due
diligence.
As a European citizen, I ask you to promote the adoption of an effective regulation that will truly
contribute to putting an end to conflicts, and I am sure I can count on you for this.
Kind regards,