The CCDH stressed this during a press briefing on Tuesday morning. The draft bill would merely obligate large companies, which import rare materials and metals, to check where the raw materials come from, the CCDH criticised.
Valuable minerals, which are used in the manufacturing of computers and mobile phones, often come from conflict regions which frequently see human rights violations. The EU regulation stipulates that importers must analyse the risks and commission an independent audit.
In Luxembourg, only 30 companies would be affected. While the CCDH welcomes the project in principle, its president Gilbert Pregno and lawyer Max Mousel regret that it is only “a small and tentative step”.
Pregno and Mousel call on the Luxembourgish government to stop stalling and start working on, at least, a sectorial supply chain law. The CCDH also regrets that it is unclear if, and if so how, companies would be monitored. The draft bill also does not provide for a list of these companies, which is “not good”, according to the CCDH.
Pregno stated that, according to this information, the European Commission will issue a directive on a supply chain law on Wednesday. However, human rights activists rumour that the final text will be “watered down”. The head of the CCDH has no doubt that there has been “a lot of lobbying from the major importers of conflict minerals”.
