Report on corporate liability for serious human rights abuses in third countries

The European Parliament's plenary session endorsed on 25 October 2016 a report urging the European Commission to lay down and enforce clear rules requiring firms from the European Union to respect human rights in all their global operations.

The rerport calls for the inclusion of clauses on corporate liability for human rights violations in EU trade and investment agreements, and it also advocates the creation of a certified 'abuse-free' product label at EU level.

The text urges EU companies using raw materials or commodities that might originate in conflict-affected areas to provide complete information on the content and origin of products.

Finally, it also calls for the EU’s export control law on civilian/military 'dual use' items to be updated, since 'technologies made by European companies are still causing human rights violations all over the world'.