10 Amendments of Maria HEUBUCH related to 2015/2038(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls on the Commission to respect the principle of Policy Coherence for Development in all external policies and specifically to include it in all treaties, in ways consistent with agreed international commitments to human rights, decent work, gender equality and environmental sustainability;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Recalls the 1986 UN Declaration on the Right to Development, which confirms the right to development as an inalienable human right; calls on the EU to respect the sovereignty of developing countries in setting policies aimed at responding to the demands of their populations for human rights and dignity, in line with the development principle of democratic ownership, as embedded in the development effectiveness agenda;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for the EU to recognise the common but differentiated responsibility of developing countries, while ensuring equity when addressing the post-2015 Development Agenda; recalls the EU’'s direct and historical responsibility in its dealings with partner countries, particularly as regards tax, trade and investment; in particular, stresses upon the need to rebalance global rules governing trade and investment with human rights obligations so as to find the right balance between the rights and responsibilities of firms and governments;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Recalls that the implementation of the Decent Work Agenda (based on ILO Conventions and recommendations) constitutes an essential part of sustainable development strategies that can be applied by business enterprises; in this context, stresses that social dialogue is a key criteria for business accountability;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Finds regrettable theRegrets that at a time of increasing interest in the private sector as a development actor, there is a significant lack of adequate information and transparency as regards the actions of corporations and their impact on social and environmental standards and human rights; deplores that, while the EU is among the most active actors to setting normative standards through trade agreements, the enforceability of social or environmental clauses attached to it remains weak; calls for an effective increase in the transparency of corporations and for independent ex-ante impact analysis prior to the signing of any trade agreement; and strong enforceability mechanisms of social and environmental clauses;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Recalls that the integration of a human right-based approach should be at the heart of the EU development policy; henceforth, reiterates that at a time when the use of blending as a EU development tool is growing, adherence and implementation of internationally recognised guidelines and principles concerning business behaviour and their accountability instruments (namely the ILO Conventions and standards, including the ILO Declaration on Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, the UN Global Compact and the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights) should become key condition to grant private sector support in development cooperation;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Deplores that despite the unanimous endorsement of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights by the Human Right Council in 2011, the number of human rights abuses linked to business activity continues to grow;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Calls on to the Commission to conduct a report on the state of implementation on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers it regrettable that aRegrets that the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are not embodied in enforceable instruments, thereby hampering individuals and communities around the world to rely effectively on the UN endorsed standards for protection and remedy to defend themselves against human rights violations of multinational corporations; calls for the setting-up of a mandatory and enforceable regulatory framework on the way corporations comply with human rights and obligations with respect to social and environmental standards is still lacking; finds it regrettable that current human rights clauses in free trade agreements and other economic partnership agreements are ineffective and are usually not respected; urges the Commission to further promote initiatives for responsible mining, logging and sourcing of commodities so as to ensure the accountability of companies;
Amendment 30 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Considering that there has been little progress in the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles, and in a context where existing standards, principles, and mechanisms for redress on business and human rights are fragmented in international law, calls for the EU to engage actively in the work of the UN’s Human Rights Council on an international treaty to hold transnational corporations accountable for human rights abuses.