2023-05-30 05:31:40
Human rights organizations and demand distancing from controversial MPs: “ÖVP must not be harnessed to the cart of corporate lobbies”
Vienna/Brussels (OTS) – On Thursday, June 1st, the EU Parliament will vote on its position on the EU Supply Chain Law. In advance, members of the European People’s Party surprisingly table amendments for massive softening. These efforts are spearheaded by German CSU and EPP MEP Angelika Niebler. Support comes from Austrian ÖVP MPs, such as Angelika Winzig. The human rights organization Südwind and representatives of the campaign Human rights need lawscoordinated by the Social Responsibility Network (NeSoVe), see this as an attempt to slow down the effectiveness of the law as a whole.
“The EPP amendments are a farce! Instead of ensuring that the EU supply chain law guarantees human rights and environmental protection, ÖVP and EPP MEPs are actively working to water down the EU supply chain law and make it de facto ineffective,” criticized Bettina Rosenberger, Campaign Coordinator Human rights need laws! bei NeSoVe. The vote on June 1 was preceded by weeks of negotiations in the Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) of the EU Parliament. “Despite remaining loopholes, the present compromise is an important step in the right direction. With the EU supply chain law, there is for the first time the opportunity to take action once morest human rights violations along global value chains. This historic opportunity must not be wasted,” said Bettina Rosenberger.
Further limitation of scope and legal access
The amendments tabled by parts of the EPP stipulate that the supply chain law should only apply to companies with 1,000 or more employees. The number of companies included would thus be significantly reduced once more. In addition, the effect of the due diligence obligations should be drastically reduced and no longer apply to the entire value chain, but only along the supply chain. Accordingly, no due diligence obligations would apply to the areas of financing, marketing and disposal of products.
Parts of the EPP are also calling for separate votes on all questions relating to access to justice for those affected. This opens up the possibility of rejecting them and removing them entirely from the policy. How difficult it is to obtain reparations and compensation for those affected is shown, for example, by the inadequate processing of the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory in 2013, in which more than 1,100 people lost their lives.
Liability under civil law might also be further restricted: only those who intentionally or through gross negligence violate the duty of care imposed by the directive and thus cause damage can be proven to be liable. This would mean additional hurdles for those affected.
Investigations due to potential conflicts of interest
The dilution efforts are spearheaded by German EPP MEP Angelika Niebler. After complaints were made once morest Niebler regarding a possible conflict of interest, the office of European Parliament President Roberta Metsola (EPP) announced investigations. In addition to her work as a Member of Parliament, Niebler is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the TÜV SÜD Foundation, co-owner of TÜV SÜD AG, which offers certification to companies. One of the certified projects was the Brumadinho Dam in Brazil. Just four months before the catastrophic dam collapse in 2019, which killed 270 people, safety was confirmed by TÜV SÜD’s Brazilian subsidiary. In addition, Angelika Niebler works for the US law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, which represents large corporate clients, including in lawsuits once morest the impact of operations on communities in the Global South.
Südwind: Human rights must come before corporate interests
“The European Parliament is committed to human dignity and must not allow itself to be driven by corporate lobbies. The brazen and intolerable attempts to soften things up by parts of the European People’s Party must be clearly rejected,” he says Stefan Grasgruber-Kerl, Südwind expert for fair supply chains. “Member of the European Parliament and the Commission must work for a serious draft that focuses on human rights and not corporate interests. Now, shortly before the vote, the ÖVP must not allow itself to be harnessed to the cart of a controversial German corporate lobbyist. A working set of rules is finally needed once morest human rights violations in global supply chains,” appealed Stefan Grasgruber-Kerl.
Urgent E-mail Action to MEPs:
https://www.suedwind.at/handeln/petitionen/eu-lieferkettengesetz/
Photo campaign in Vienna
Activists of the campaign “Human rights need laws!” demanded in the course of an action at the port of Freudenau that MEPs campaign for an effective supply chain law. Representatives of the Epiphany Action, WWF Austria, GLOBAL2000, Jugend Eine Welt were present , Südwind and the Social Responsibility Network.
Photos from the campaign are available for download here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/184904131@N04/
About “Human rights need laws!”:
The campaign Human rights need laws! is supported by a broad civil society alliance and coordinated by the Social Responsibility Network (NeSoVe). Together with over 100 NGOs and trade unions from all over Europe, civil society organizations and trade unions are mobilizing as part of the campaign “Justice is everyone’s business!”(Justice is Everybody’s Business) for an EU supply chain law that effectively protects human and labor rights, the environment and the climate.
Questions & contact:
Bettina Rosenberger
Campaign coordinator “Human rights need laws!”
Tel.: +43 660 8835409
bettina.rosenberger@nesove.at
c/o Social Responsibility Network
1685424934
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