Responsible sourcing of minerals originating in conflict-affected and high-risk areas: Towards an integrated EU approach

International trade in minerals sourced from unstable regions of the world can play a role in intensifying and perpetuating violent conflict. Although rarely the root cause, such trade provides significant financial means to armed movements to sustain their fighting ability, with serious consequences for millions of people caught in the violence.

This problem is most acute in Africa, particularly in the Great Lakes Region (GLR). The Heidelberg Institute reports that the combination of natural resources and conflict is present in about 20% of the almost 400 conflicts it has registered: resource-related conflicts are currently prevalent in Africa and the Americas, but less prevalent in Asia and Oceania, the Middle East and Maghreb, and Europe. The overall global situation is not static and the risk of deeper or new conflicts, in which natural resources play a role, remains.

Breaking the link between minerals extraction and conflict is a complex challenge. The root and proximate causes of the problems must first be identified as should the triggers of conflicts and structural fragility, their dynamics, and the roles of the various actors involved. Solutions must take account of instability drivers such as weak governance, absence of security, inability to ensure the rule of law, poverty, lack of services and infrastructure, endemic corruption and on-going political and land disputes, and involve a broad range of actions – domestic, international, political, trade and educational, a large number of which are already underway.

Any new trade-related EU action in this area needs to be placed in this broader context and complement the EU's foreign policy and development cooperation initiatives. It must also take account of the situation of EU companies and EU's policies in their regard. This joint Communication by the European Commission and the High Representative presents a series of initiatives reflecting these considerations.

This Communication accompanies a Commission proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council setting up a Union system for supply chain due diligence self-certification of responsible importers of tin, tantalum and tungsten, their ores, and gold originating in conflict-affected and high-risk areas. It outlines accompanying measures that will enhance the impact of the Regulation and an integrated EU approach, drawing on a public consultation, stakeholder meetings and an impact assessment carried out in 2013.

The integrated approach set out in this Communication addresses three main issues: reducing the opportunities for armed groups to trade in tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold in conflict-affected areas; improving the ability of EU operators − especially in the downstream section of the supply chain − to comply with existing due diligence frameworks; and reducing distortions in global markets for the aforesaid four minerals sourced from conflict-affected and high-risk areas as is currently the case in the Great Lakes Region.