23 Amendments of Ignazio CORRAO related to 2016/2301(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas the EU is founded on the values of respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights; whereas its action on the international scene, including its trade policy 'shall be guided by [these] principles', shall be aligned with development policy objectives and its goal of eradicating poverty according to the principle of policy coherence for development, shall aim at the fulfilment of the SDGs, and shall be transparent;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas global value chains have become an important feature of global production patterns; whereas a lack of GVC regulations has been one of the elements undermining labour rights; whereas the GVC complexity affirms the need for increased and proactive engagement in the EU and abroad to ensure their adequate management for inclusive and sustainable growth;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Recital A c (new)
Recital A c (new)
Ac. whereas the EU and its Member States, being collectively the world's largest market and the leading provider of Aid for Trade, can and should leverage this position to make GVCs more sustainable and inclusive and to promote values like sustainable development, human rights, fair and ethical trade, in particular for the poorest populations; whereas trade agreements should acknowledge the right of developing countries to regulate in the public interest;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Recital A d (new)
Recital A d (new)
Ad. whereas several international conventions, guidelines and rules aim at preventing human rights abuses; whereas there is an obligation on countries to implement them and to create appropriate legal and economic conditions for businesses to operate and find a place in global supply chains;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Recital A e (new)
Recital A e (new)
Ae. whereas GSP and GSP+ trade incentives provide better market access to developing countries in exchange for respect of labour, environmental and social standards;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Recital A f (new)
Recital A f (new)
Af. whereas the lack of ethical behaviour in business is also a consequence of the powerlessness or non- existence of impartial public authorities acting in the general interest of citizens; whereas, among other, Export Processing Zones (EPZs) as part of global value chains are often characterized by exemptions from labour laws and taxes and contribute to generating severe problems related to decent work and trade union restrictions;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1a. Emphasises that the globalisation of value chains can help developing countries to integrate into the global economy, reduce poverty and create jobs, while at the same time boosting production capacity, including by diffusing technology and skills; but notes with concern that the use in the global supply chain of non-standard forms of employment, of informal work, and of some forms of subcontracting has weakened collective agreements; condemns the presence of child labour and forced labour in some global supply chains, which is acute in the lower segments of the chain, particularly in portions of supply chains linked to informal economy; recalls, equally, that women are increasingly employed but still overrepresented in low-skilled tasks and low wages, that they lack access to social protection measures, including maternity protection, and that they are too often subject to discrimination as well as sexual harassment;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 b (new)
Paragraph -1 b (new)
-1b. Notes that the increasing globalisation and the complexity of value chains enhances the importance of the role played by corporations in the enjoyment of and respect for human rights, including children's rights, and environmental sustainability; notes also that corporate behaviour can strongly affect development and human wellbeing, in either a positive or negative manner; but notes with concern that, existing standards, principles and mechanisms for redress on business and human rights are still fragmented in international law and there has been little progress in the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which were agreed unanimously in the UN with the full support of EU Member States and on the road towards binding rules on corporate liability;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 c (new)
Paragraph -1 c (new)
-1c. Points out that reliable access to raw materials is important for global competitiveness and emphasizes at the same time that one of the main challenges for developing countries is to climb up the global value chain through economic diversification, which necessitates fair and pro-development global trade rules;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 d (new)
Paragraph -1 d (new)
-1d. Is deeply concerned by cases of human rights violations and threats to environmental sustainability, committed as a result of some corporations' management decisions, as well as those corporations benefitting from human rights violations such as land grabs or displacements, also committed by third parties;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission to further promote the ratification and effective implementation of the core ILO conventions, with a special focus on the eradication of child labour and forced labour, as well as full compliance by EU companies having any sort of attachment with the EU with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises; recommends strengthening the role of OECD National Contact Points and their cooperation with independent national and regional human rights institutions with a view to improving the governance of global value chains;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Is deeply concerned about the fact that transnational corporations strongly benefit from the international trade system and the many existing legal loopholes, in order to escape accountability for environmental crimes and human rights violations that their operations result in; is deeply concerned about the EU trade policy, which promotes special privileges for investors without any obligations;
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Urges the Commission to develop an EU-wide mandatory due diligence system and invites EU Member States to integrate measures to strengthen due diligence in global supply chains in their national action plans on business and human rights; reiterates its calls on the EU and Member States contained in the Report on Corporate Liability for serious human rights abuses in third countries, approved with an overwhelming majority in October 2016, to ensure that large companies and their subcontractors operating within their supply chain in jurisdiction of Member States as well as in third countries would identify, prevent, mitigate and account for their adverse human rights and environmental impacts throughout their operations and value chains, wherever occurring, also by establishing binding rules and removing existing barriers to justice in cases brought before Member State courts for alleged abuses to human rights committed by enterprises having any link with the EU; regrets that almost no action has been taken by the Commission during these months and no follow-up has been given to the Parliament on the same resolution; encourages ILO enterprises and other stakeholders to work towards the same direction;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Warmly welcomes the drafting of a binding UN Treaty on Business and Human Rights, in order to clearly set out a mandatory and enforceable regulatory framework on how governments and businesses must protect and uphold human rights and their obligations with respect to social and environmental standards at every stage of the supply chain, regardless of the country in which production takes place and the nationality of the corporation;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Reiterates its call on the Member States and the EU itself to promote and proactively participate in this process; calls on the Commission to introduce a legislative proposal on binding due diligence obligations for supply chains aligned with the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and several sector-specific OECD guidelines and set up comprehensive labelling measures in order to guarantee enhanced consumer information on the content and origin of the final products sold in the EU market throughout their supply chain;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Notes that EU trade policy can be a tool for fighting the negative effects of state and corporate behaviour, corruption, tax avoidance, social dumping and child labour, and calls on the Commission to ensure that all EU funded development projects, including blending projects, are not only fully aligned with the internationally agreed development effectiveness principles, but that they also fully respect the principle of free, prior and informed consent as established in the ILO Convention No. 169;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2d. Is concerned about the fact that some transnational corporations benefit from the international trade system and the existing legal loopholes, in order to escape accountability for environmental crimes and human rights violations that their operations result in; calls on the EU trade policy to avoid promoting special privileges for investors without any obligations; stresses the importance of implementing, enforcing or transposing existing laws on regional, national and international levels;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Reiterates its call on the EU and Member States to establish binding rules to ensure that large companies operating in their jurisdiction identify, prevent, mitigate and account for their adverse human rights and environmental impacts throughout their operations and value chains, wherever occurring;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Is deeply concerned by the attitude taken by the EU as regards the negotiations to improve the accountability framework at the international level, through its non-cooperative approach with respect to the United Nations Intergovernmental working group on transnational corporations and other business enterprises with respect to human rights;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the need for binding contractual agreements, enforced by judicial means, on human rights between companies and their suppliers along the entire value chain; underlines the importance of effective enforcement by judicial means, including access to remedies for victims.;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Reaffirms the urgent need to act in a continuous, effective and coherent manner at national, regional, European and global level, in order to address effectively the legal problems resulting from the extra-territorial dimension of companies and of their conduct, and the related uncertainty as to where the liability for human rights violations lies;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Recalls that business enterprises should establish operational-level grievance mechanisms for workers impacted by their operations, including in Export Processing Zones (EPZs), and reiterates its call to lift any barriers victims of human rights violations face with regards to seeking legal redress; in this regard, reiterates its call on the EU and Member States to take the appropriate steps to tackle the legal, procedural and institutional obstacles to access effective remedies faced by those victims;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Calls on the EU and Member States to urgently take the appropriate steps to tackle the legal, procedural and institutional obstacles to access effective remedies faced by victims of business- related human rights violations;