During the EP plenary session in Strasbourg, MEPs debate a draft EU regulation to stop the financing of armed groups and human rights abuses through trade in minerals from conflict areas. The new law will oblige all but the smallest EU importers of tin, tungsten, tantalum, gold to monitor their sources and do "due diligence" checks on their suppliers. Statements by Iuliu WINKLER (EPP, RO), rapporteur, Cecilia MALMSTR&Ouml;M, Member of the EC in charge of Trade,&nbsp;Bogdan Brunon WENTA (EPP, PL), Daniel CASPARY (EPP, DE), Maria ARENA (S&amp;D, BE) and Louis MICHEL (ALDE, BE).&nbsp;

Strasbourg

debate

plenary session

MICHEL, Louis (ALDE, BE)

MALMSTRÖM, Cecilia (ALDE, SE, EC)

CASPARY, Daniel (EPP, DE)

ARENA, Maria (S&D, BE)

WENTA, Bogdan Brunon (EPP, PL)

WINKLER, Iuliu (EPP, RO)

conflict minerals (T)

Conflict minerals: extracts from the debate

SOUNDBITE (English), Iuliu WINKLER (EPP, RO), rapporteur, The vicious circle has now been broken, the importers of tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold will have to carry out mandatory due diligence, in order to check their suppliers and prevent that armed rebels or human rights violation can be financed by illegal revenue. The interests of communities and the people caught in war and conflict represented our priorities and the new regulation has the power to improve reality on the ground in conflict areas.

SOUNDBITE (English), Cecilia MALMSTR&#214;M, Member of the EC in charge of Trade, We have an ambitious and a workable instrument to eliminate conflict minerals from supply chains. It will contribute to addressing the challenges of conflict linked to natural resources, hardship of entirely communities and human right abuses that have for too long accompanied this kind of trade.

SOUNDBITE (English), Cecilia MALMSTR&#214;M, Member of the EC in charge of Trade, Transparent and responsible supply chains means revenues will not go into the hands of rebels groups, but to investments in schools, in hospitals, supporting a well government state underpinned by the rule of law. It can mean improving people lives from conflict into opportunities and hope. It means encouraging the economic growth that helps the poorest regions grow sustainable.

SOUNDBITE (English), Cecilia MALMSTR&#214;M, Member of the EC in charge of Trade, We are fully on track with the 20 million euro development aid package announced in 2015.This will include financial support via the OECD secretariat, helping the responsible production of gold, peace building and stabilisation in central and West Africa. It will help assistance and training for those on the ground, it will help vulnerable women and children affected by the conflict, will be support for the international conference for the Great Lakes region, and a Dutch lead private - public European partnership for responsible minerals.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Bogdan Brunon WENTA (EPP, PL), DEVE Committee, Our priorities must go to communities and people affected by war and conflicts. The regulations stipulate that the verification of the due diligence is going to be mandatory to those who imports tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold from conflict affected areas.

SOUNDBITE (German), Daniel CASPARY (EPP, DE), I&rsquo;m thinking of what the Americans have achieved in their final act, because there was a good idea, but wasn&rsquo;t a great outcome, because right now a lot of companies in America are avoiding the Congo, for example, and not taking their raw materials from there. Even the mines which worked correctly, and the families that worked correctly, they have no future prospects anymore. Basically what we see is an embargo against the Congo.

SOUNDBITE (French), Maria ARENA (S&amp;D, BE), Today what we have is regulation, yes, that it makes possible to have a compulsory approach, but only on part of the supply chain, we&rsquo;ve accepted this compromise, because we think we have to make progress. We also think that we shall be attentive to the implementation of this rule, because we don&rsquo;t want in any sense to allow any company to carry on behaving as today, so killing people, in the conflict zones.

SOUNDBITE (French), Louis MICHEL (ALDE, BE), The trialogue agreement is indeed an important step forward, but it will be binding only for a minority of companies foundry, refineries and the importers of brut minerals and metals above a certain quantity. For the others it will be self-regulation, which means, their more or less good will. The Council missed an occasion - as I see - to moralise scandalous behaviours, which aliment murdering conflict and close its eyes on the human disastrous situation of the child&rsquo;s labour in mines, victims of an economical, intolerable cynicism.