Report of roundtable on conflictminerals legislation

The roundtable brought together almost 90 experts and representatives from the various stakeholder groups to discuss a possible European version of the Dodd Frank Act Section 1502 on conflict minerals.

After introductory speeches by Judith Sargentini MEP and Tim Steinweg of makeITfair, the meeting started with four keynote presentations to assess the current state of affairs in the United States and Europe, and the perspectives of some of the Congolese stakeholders on these developments. Next, an open discussion followed in which all stakeholders could present their viewpoints and make their suggestions. The meeting concluded with statements from the Congolese government and by Mr. Etienne Tshisekedi, Congolese presidential candidate for the opposition party UDPS.

Some of the key points that emerged from the meeting were that;

1.there is broad consensus on the need for European legislation on the issue;

2.local stakeholders should be involved in such a legislative process;

3.measures need to be taken to avoid or mitigate a de facto embargo on Congolese minerals;

4.legislative efforts need to be coupled with state building and security sector reform; and

5.reporting requirements for companies need to be mandatory, not voluntary.

Further details about the outcomes of the roundtable, and the recommendations of Judith Sargentini and makeITfair can be found in the report (pdf).