Debate on Self-certification of importers of minerals and metals originating in conflict-affected and high-risk areas during the EP plenary session in Strasbourg. Statements by Iuliu WINKLER (EPP, RO), Rapporteur, Cecilia MALMSTRÖM, Member of the EC in charge of International Trade, Daniel CASPARY (EPP, DE), Giovanni PITTELLA (S&D, IT), Emma McCLARKIN (ECR, UK), Marielle DE SARNEZ (ALDE, FR), Helmut SCHOLZ (GUE/NGL, DE), Judith SARGENTINI (Greens/EFA, NL), Tiziana BEGHIN (EFDD, IT), Ivan JAKOVČIĆ (ALDE, HR) and Marie ARENA (S&D, BE)

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

PITTELLA, Gianni (S&D, IT)

McCLARKIN, Emma (ECR, UK)

SARGENTINI, Judith (Greens/EFA, NL)

MALMSTRÖM, Cecilia (ALDE, SE, EC)

CASPARY, Daniel (EPP, DE)

ARENA, Maria (S&D, BE)

DE SARNEZ, Marielle (ALDE, FR)

WINKLER, Iuliu (EPP, RO)

conflict minerals (T)

BEGHIN, Tiziana (NI, IT)

JAKOVČIĆ, Ivan (ALDE, HR)

Self-certification of importers of minerals and metals: extracts from the report Iuliu WINKLER (EPP, RO)

Exterior shot of the EP building in Strasbourg. Flags. (1shot)

SOUNDBITE (English), Iuliu WINKLER (EPP, RO), Rapporteur, "The objective of the EU approach is breaking the link between economic activity  - and transparently managed industry and trade - and conflict fininancing and conflict fuelling".

SOUNDBITE (English), Iuliu WINKLER (EPP, RO), Rapporteur, "This proposal, voted in the international trade committee, respects the principles of prudent and proportionate legislating. It does not unilateraly impose obligations on EU companies, it respects and ensures a consistent uptake of the minerals' market towards responsiblem conflict-free certification."

SOUNDBITE (English), Cecilia MALMSTR&#214;M, Member of the EC in charge of International Trade, "It is crucial to understand, and I know you all do, that there is no silver bullet to deal with this problem. It is, by natire, multidimensional and extremely complicated. So we must look at it from different angles: development, political, trade perspective..., all at the same time."

SOUNDBITE (English), Cecilia MALMSTR&#214;M, Member of the EC in charge of International Trade, "It will include all responsible smelters and refiners in the EU and worldwide on a white list and, consequently, a name and shame system for those who do not appear on it. There are no more than 40 smelters in the EUm how many of them do you think will be able to be outside the list?"

SOUNDBITE (English), Cecilia MALMSTR&#214;M, Member of the EC in charge of International Trade, "We do run a high risk of further disrupting global supply chains and driving them away from Africa alltoghether. We also risk creating trade diversion resulting in prejudice against individual countries or even the whole continent and that would to plummeting prices for minerals from certain origins."

SOUNDBITE (German), Daniel CASPARY (EPP, DE), "It is<em> de facto </em>an partial embargo against Congo. And it has led to small mines being closed, therefore cutting the income of the families of their workers, pushing families into illegality, boosting smuggling and creating new dependence and that's exactly what we want to avoid with this European legislation. We should learn from other people's mistakes."

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Giovanni PITTELLA (S&amp;D, IT), "Colleagues, Commissioner, we need a mandatory traceability of minerals on the full chain of production and trade. We socialists will not support a ficticious bit of regulation, a bluff. Something that doesn't hurt the Lords of Death and big business."

SOUNDBITE (English), Emma McCLARKIN (ECR, UK), "Some people may want to vote for a mandatory scheme, they will sleep well at night and they will have a nice press release, not considering full impact of what's going to happen on the ground. That is what we need to focus on if we are here, really, to be credible parlamentarians here in the European Parliament."

SOUNDBITE (French), Marielle DE SARNEZ (ALDE, FR), "This European legislation will serve as a model in order to create a positive dynamic in other regions of the world, everybody has said that, all my colleagues have said that, we have to learn the lessons from the Dodd-Frank Act."

SOUNDBITE (German), Helmut SCHOLZ (GUE/NGL, DE), "A voluntary commitment of entrepreneurs is not sufficient. It is urgently necessary to have a binding regulation for the whole supply chain."

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Judith SARGENTINI (Greens/EFA, NL), "European companies can follow the regulations on certification of minerals from conflict areas since 2011. But they don't do it."

SOUNDBITE (Dutch), Judith SARGENTINI (Greens/EFA, NL), "All of you have a mobile phone, you work everyday with it. But there are no telephones produced in Europe, they are all produced in China. This kind of devices will not be covered by this piece of legislation and that means that consumers will not be able to know where this minerals are coming from and Chinese companies will not follow this legislation".

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Tiziana BEGHIN (EFDD, IT), <p>"This telephone is covered in blood, this tablet is covered in blood. All the technology we use is covered in blood. And that's because the minerals we use for their components are extracted in countries at war, where as we have said they finance Human Rights abuses, killings and mutilations".</p>

SOUNDBITE (Croatian), Ivan JAKOV&#268;I&#262; (ALDE, HR), "If we can trace oranges and bananas perhaps we could also trace these precious minerals."

SOUNDBITE (French), Marie ARENA (S&amp;D, BE), "In 2010 there was a step forward with the adoption of the Dodd-Frank Act in the United States. The law requires American companies to clearly detail all information regarding their procuremen. And contrarily to what my colleague DE SARNEZ said, this Dodd-Frank Act achieved true change in the countries of origin. It took time but it did achieve an improvement".  