Fatal Transactions calls on the EU to tackle corporate abuse right now

Fatal Transactions has urged the EU to stop European Multinational Enterprises (MNEs) from profiting at the expense of human rights at a public hearing on 16 April 2009 of the Parliamentary Commitee on Human Rights of the EU. Fatal Transactions, together with the ECCJ, the Jesuit European Office, CAFOD and Global Witness, provided a Briefing Note to the Hearing with strong recommendations to end corporate abuse of European companies outside the EU, including those extracting the natural resources of Africa.

At the public hearing, the UN Special Representative on Business & Human Rights, John Ruggie, presented his framework to “Protect, Respect and Remedy” to the members of the European Parliament. Ruggie made a strong plea to the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council to define policy on the State’s duty to protect people from human rights abuses by companies. The Briefing Notereinforces Ruggie’s plea by recommending the European Parliament to engage more strongly in the debate on business and human rights and to give follow up to the Commission’s current analysis on the nature and scope of the existing EU legal framework.

European based companies are complicit of human rights abuses in their areas of operation. Because these operations take place outside Europe, European laws are not applicable. So if these companies disrespect and abuse the human rights of people living and working near the companies’ operations, there is little these people can do. This is why the European Coalition for Corporate Justice (ECCJ) came up with legal proposals for European law to tackle this issue. Fatal Transactions supports ECCJ’s work because it could provide protection and remedies to victims of corporate abuse in countries as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Read the Briefing Note here: English and French

Read the ECCJ report "With Power Comes Responsibility" here >>