Activities of Eleonora FORENZA related to 2016/2140(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on EU flagship initiative on the garment sector
Amendments (32)
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the global apparel trade is worth an estimated USD 3 trillion and employs up to 75 million people; whereas about three quarters of these workers are female; whereas the wages paid are not enough to allow workers to provide their family with basic human necessities;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas, despite the national and international initiatives already in place, women workers' rights are ignored in the garment industry, where women workers perform poorly paid jobs, face severe labour rights violations and do not enjoy their legal entitlements; whereas statutory maternity rights are rarely provided, overtime is compulsory and excessively long working days add to the burden of domestic responsibilities, denying women any rest periods or time with their children;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas all recently concluded EU free trade agreements include ‘'Trade and sustainable development’ chapte' chapters; whereas such chapters haven´t stop bad practices or human rights abuses and lack binding obligations relating to multinational environmental and labour agreements, specific provisions on human rights and obligations for foreign investors;
Amendment 18 #
Draft opinion
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the substantial concentration of economic power in the hands of a few huge multinationals operating on the market has a negative impact on working conditions and wages due to aggressive management of global value chains, which seeks to make prices as low as possible and delivery times as short as possible, with small profit margins; whereas this makes it impossible for suppliers to pay decent wages or to maintain normal working hours;
Amendment 21 #
Draft opinion
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. whereas the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights have clearly defined the responsibilities of governments and businesses, which are under an obligation to protect and respect human rights no matter at what point in the supply chain and in which country production takes place, and irrespective of whether it is the country of the principal or of the supplier; whereas the European Union has undertaken to encourage the adoption of the Guiding Principles and contribute to their implementation;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. SupportsUrge the Commission’'s examination of a possible EU-wide initiative on the garment sector; notes, in addition, that the current multiplication of existing initiatives could result in an unpredictable environment for companito present an ambitious a EU-wide legislative initiative on the garment sector aligned with OECD Guidelines;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Takes notes that the initiatives that followed the Rana Plaza disaster have suffered from slow implementation in particular at ensuring that rights are in fact respected; considers fundamental that the new garment framework contains provisions that EU-based companies to ensure that fundamental labour rights are respected throughout the supply chains trough also the provision of stronger, legally binding tools that will ensure that rights are protected in law and respected in practice;
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the 'Realising Long-term Value for Companies and Investors' project being undertaken by the UN Principles for Responsible Investment and the UN Global Compact demonstrate that economy is compatible with, and mutually reinforcing to, principles of social justice, environmental sustainability and respect for human rights;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses the need for a unified approach to the effective collection of data on human rights, social, environmental and labour performance, to be applied along the whole supply chain; points out that the industry-driven Higg Index covers all key impact areas;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission to take into account the special needs of SMEs and base its approach on the scalability principle by supporting them in their fulfilment of OECD Guidelines requirements;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas most human rights violations in the garment sector are labour- rights related and include the denial of workers fundamental right to join or form a union of their choosing and bargain collectively in good faith; whereas this has led to widespread labour rights violations ranging from poverty wages, wage theft, unsafe workplaces, and sexual harassment, to precarious work; whereas despite the widespread violation of key human rights, actual actions for remedy generally remains rare;
Amendment 44 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that thenot only traceability and, but also transparency of the supply chain is the key to achieving sustained change; recommends that trustworthy, clear and meaningful information on sustainability be made available to consumers; stresses that only binding transparency provisions can set up a level playing field which ensures a fair competition between business avoiding social dumping;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls for the inclusion in the garment initiative of the obligation for EU companies ensure that fundamental labour rights are respected in supply chains trough the introduction of mandatory due diligence aligned with OECD Guidelines as well as a reporting system with, inter alia, information concerning the list of suppliers as well as of the actions adopted to ensure respect for human rights together with progress reports concerning their implementation and effectiveness;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas initiatives led by the private sector, such as codes of conduct, labels, self-assessments and social audits, have not proven to be at all effective over the last 20 years in terms of respecting human rights, increasing workers’' rights, respecting environmental standard, gender equality or environmental sustainability in the garment supply chain;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Encourages EU and member states to promote trough the garment initiative and other trade policy instruments, the effective implementation of the ILO standards on wages and working hours, with partner countries also in the garment sector. Further to this; calls the EU to provide guidance and support on how to enhance respect for these while helping to build sustainable enterprises and improve sustainable employment prospects;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas in order to improve the governance of GVCs, the various instruments and initiatives of policy areas such as trade and investment, private sector support and development cooperation, must be harnessed to contribute to the sustainability and responsible management of GVCs as part of delivering the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which recognises the crucial impact of trade policies in implementing its goals by covering a number of policy areas such as rules of origin, commodity markets, labour rights and gender equality;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Believes that the development of industrial relations and collective bargaining and the establishment of easy- to-access and effective non-judicial grievances mechanisms, according to internationally agreed standardt the national level to complement judicial avenues for redress, in line with the framework developed by the UN special representative on business and human rights, are among the main guarantees for the proper respect of labour standards and human rights in supplier countries;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Calls for the EU and Members states to support the work of the UN's Human Rights Council and of the UNEP on an international treaty that would also improve the effectiveness of corporate social responsibility in the garment sector;
Amendment 62 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the specific characteristics of the garment sector value chains, such as geographically dispersed stages of the production process, low prices, short lead times, subcontracting and short-term buyer-supplier relationships are conducive to reducing visibility and transparency over an enterprise’'s supply chain and to increasing the risks of human rights and labour abuses and of environmental damage and of inadequate animal welfare; whereas transparency is a prerequisite for a company’'s accountability and responsible consumption; whereas the consumer has the right to know where a piece of clothing was produced, and in which social and environmental conditions;
Amendment 64 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Calls for the gender aspect to be takmainstreamed all over the EU garment into account in the EU garment initiative. itiative; Considers, in this regard, fundamental a broad based effective participation of women and women's rights organizations in both consultations and trade negotiations;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
K a. whereas victims of human rights abuses involving European companies face multiple obstacles to access judicial remedies; including procedural obstacles on admissibility and disclosure of evidence, often prohibitive litigation costs, absence of clear liability standards for corporate involvement in human rights abuses, and lack of clarity on the application of EU rules of private international law in transnational civil litigation
Amendment 109 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the Commission to present ago beyond the presentation of a Staff Working Document and to present a comprehensive legislative proposal on binding due diligence obligations for supply chains in the garment sector aligned with the OECD guidelines on due diligence in the garment and foot-wear sector, the OECD guidelines for multinational companies, the ILO resolution on decent work in supply chains, and internationally agreed standards on human rights and social and environmental standards; this proposal should focus on the core problems garment workers face (occupational health and safety, a living wage, freedom of association, sexual harassment and violence) and should address the following matters: key criteria for sustainable production, transparency and traceability, including collection of data and tools for consumer information, due diligence checks and auditing, access to remedy; gender equality, supply-chain due diligence reporting; awareness raising; notes, however, with concern that a lot more needs to be done and urges the Commission to take further actions which have a direct impact on workers’' lives;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Reiterates its call on the Commission to extend corporate social responsibility and binding due diligence initiatives beyond existing frameworks for the garment sector so as to ensure that the EU itself and its trading partners and operators live up to the obligation to respect both human rights and the highest social and environmental standards;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Encourages the EU and its Member States to promote, through policy dialogue and capacity building, the take-up and effective enforcement of international labour standards and human rights by partner countries based on ILO Conventions and recommendations; stresses in this context that respecting the right to join and form a union and engage in collective bargaining is a key criterion for business accountability; deplores that Freedom of Association is often violated in many production places and encourages states to strengthen labour laws;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Emphasises the need to enhance codes of conduct, labels and fair trade schemes, and of by ensuring alignment with international standards such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the upcoming OECD due diligence guidance for the garment and footwear sector;
Amendment 152 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Calls on the Commission to put in place specific measures for small and medium-sized European enterprises to have access to tools to invest in the sustainability and fairness of their supply chains by, inter-alia, supporting match- making business platforms to connect them with responsible manufacturers, fair trade and ethical fashion importers and suppliers in the EU and in its partner countries;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Believes that it is crucial to ensure increased access to information on the conduct of enterprises; considers it fundamental to introduce a mandatory reporting system and due diligence for EU companies that outsource their production within the EU or to third countries; believes that responsibility should extend throughout the entire supply chain to include all facilities producing for the buyer, including sub- contractors in the formal and informal economy, and commends existing efforts to this effect; believes, however, that the EU is best placed to develop a common framework through legislation on mandatory transnational due diligence, remedy for victims , and supply chain transparency and traceability, while paying also attention to the protection of whistle-blowers;
Amendment 167 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Stresses the need for comprehensive data on corporate sustainability performance; in this context, the elaboration of common definitions and standards for the collection, comparison and assessment of statistical data notably onf general imports, ands welcomes the holistic approach of the Higg Index in measuring enterprises’ environmental, social and labour impactl as individual production locations, and requests the Commission to take an initiative to mandatory disclose the production locations;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13 a. Is convinced that public procurement is useful tool for the promotion of a responsible garment industry; Calls, in this regard, to the European institutions, including the European Parliament, to ensure that all their public procurement, including merchandising of the institutions and of political groups, in the case of the European Parliament, promote recycling and fair and sustainable garment supply chain;
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14 a. Welcomes the approach of the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact; launched by the Commission together with Bangladesh and the ILO following the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013; stresses the importance of continuing to monitor the pact's objectives in order to improve workers' rights, as well as the need for more responsible management of supply chains at international level and asks the commission of a thorough evaluation of progress or lack thereof with eventual modifications to the trade regime if needed, especially in light of the reports of the ILO supervisory mechanisms; calls on the Commission to pursue similar programmes and measures with other garment producing EU trade partners such as Sri Lanka; suggest operationalising the EU garment initiative through a number of pilot projects focussing on key exporting countries to the EU ('hot spots');
Amendment 185 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14 b. Reiterates its strong call for the systematic introduction of human rights binding clauses in all international agreements, including trade and investment agreements concluded and to be concluded between the EU and third countries; sees a need, moreover, for exante monitoring mechanisms before any framework agreement is concluded, and on which such conclusion is made conditional as a fundamental part of the agreement, and for expost monitoring mechanisms that enable tangible action to be taken in response to infringements of these clauses, such as appropriate sanctions as stipulated in the human rights clauses of the agreement, including the suspension of the agreement;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14 c. Invites the European Commission to undertake a thorough examination, in consultation with civil society, of existing barriers to justice in cases brought before Member State courts for alleged abuses to human rights committed by EU enterprises or within their supply chain in Third countries. This assessment should be geared towards identifying and promoting the adoption of effective measures that remove or alleviate these barriers;