Next January 2021, the EU Regulation on responsible supply of “conflict minerals” will came into force introducing mandatory human rights due diligence obligations for direct importers of tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold (the so-called 3TG minerals). Around 300 or 400 companies which are direct importers of these minerals into the EU market are expected to comply with these requirements.
However, the Competent Authorities designated in each Member State doesn`t seem to be doing enough to ensure the proper implementation of this Regulation.
So far, the Member States are reluctant to publish the list of companies that will be covered by this regulation, making it harder for members of (national) parliaments, media, downstream industry and civil society groups both in Europe and in producing countries to monitor corporate behavior and to raise ‘substantiated concerns’, in those cases were there are evidences of risk mismanagement.
Last week, two of member organizations of the Justice in Mining Network in the European Jesuit Conference, Fondazione Magis (Italy) and Fundación ALBOAN (Spain) joined forces with a substantial group of civil society organizations to call for transparency on the companies subjected to the regulation.
You can read the coalition’s Press Release and the Joint Policy Paper at the Conflict Free Technology Campaign Website.
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