EU drags its heels over conflict minerals

EU Observer reports on the latest declaration of the EU Commissioner on Development Aid and Cooperation, Andris Piebalgs, after he was questioned, on 13 April 2011, about the delays on the report related to the illegal commerce from the African continent.

According to the website, the European Commission appears reluctant to put in place rules that would force European companies to declare whether they source their raw materials from conflict areas such as eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Washington on the the other hand is pressing ahead with the idea, although an April deadline now appears to have been pushed back to the autumn.

• Primary Source

European Commission: EuropeAid Development and Cooperation http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/index_en.htm

European Commission: Rapid: IP/10/1360: Fight against illegal timber exports: the European Union and the Democratic Republic of Congo launch negotiations http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/10/1360&format=PDF&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

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