In a video message Mgr Ambongo summarizes his demands for a better legislation on conflict minerals
On Wednesday 20 May 2015 the European Parliament will vote in plenary session on the regulation on responsible mineral sourcing (the so-called “conflict minerals” regulation). This will be a key opportunity to enhance the very weak draft law voted on the 14th of April by MEPs sitting in the International Trade (INTA) committee, which will not be enough to stop the suffering and violence linked to the extraction of natural resources in many countries. The regulation as voted by the INTA committee could still allow conflict minerals to enter electronic devices sold in Europe.
The plenary vote in May must improve this, according to Mgr Ambongo from DRC. He said: “The regulation as voted by the INTA committee will not change things in my country because it only applies to 20 European smelters while there are 320 in the world. As everyone knows, the great majority of the concerned minerals pass via Southeast Asia where they are processed before being imported into the EU. For the regulation to be effective, the EU should require that companies placing minerals on the EU market, whether in their raw form or as part of products, are legally required to source responsibly.”
Mgr Ambongo is one of the signatories of the Church Leaders statement on conflict minerals, in which more than 140 Church leaders from 38 countries ask for a better legislation.
Click here to watch the video message with Mgr Ambongo’s demands.