As the world’s largest economy the European Union (EU) has a particular responsibility to prove leadership in the promotion and protection of human rights against harm linked to business operations.
The obligation to protect requires the EU and its Member States to prevent infringements of human rights that occur inside the EU and outside of EU territory due to the activities of business over which the EU and its Member States exercise control.
As a Member of the European Parliament, I commit to pro-actively take action with the aim of the full implementation of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) by the EU and its Member States.
In particular, I commit to take action
- For the implementation of mandatory human rights due diligence standards as regards business operations, investments, business relations and global supply chains at the national and/or EU level;
- For a legislation at national and/or EU level introducing a corporate duty of care towards individuals and communities affected by their global operations;
- To tackle obstacles to access to remedy for victims of business-related human rights harm;
- To ensure that trade policies and agreements are not harmful to the enjoyment of human rights within and outside of the EU, namely by establishing a sanctions mechanism in all Trade and Sustainable Development chapters in EU Free Trade Agreements;
- For the EU to protect human rights defenders and ensure an enabling environment;
- For a constructive engagement with the process towards the establishment of a legally binding instrument on business and human rights at the United Nations;
- To hold the EU institutions to account in case of failure to implement the UNGPs
Signatories of the pledge:
- Martina Anderson
- Maria Arena
- Margrete Auken
- Catherine Bearder
- Malin Björk
- Lynn Boylan
- Reinhard Bütikofer
- Fabio Massimo Castaldo
- Dennis De Jong
- Mark Demesmaeker
- Bas Eickhout
- Cornelia Ernst
- José Inácio Faria
- Eleonora Forenza
- Ana Gomes
- Heidi Hautala
- Anja Hazekamp
- Arnout Hoekstra
- John Howarth
- Ramón Jáuregui Atondo
- Agnes Jongerius
- Rina Ronja Kari
- Jude Kirton-Darling
- Stelios Kouloglou
- Kostadinka Kuneva
- Merja Kyllönen
- Bernd Lange
- Patrick Le Hyaric
- Arne Lietz
- Paloma López Bermejo
- Sabine Lösing
- David Martin
- Alex Mayer
- Linda McAvan
- Tilly Metz
- Martina Michels
- Anne-Marie Mineur
- Younous Omarjee
- Dimitrios Papadimoulis
- Evelyn Regner
- Bronis Ropé
- Lola Sánchez Caldentey
- Judith Sargentini
- Martin Schirdewan
- Helmut Scholz
- Molly Scott Cato
- Maria Lidia Senra Rodríguez
- Barbara Spinelli
- Bart Staes
- Neoklis Sylikiotis
- Miguel Urbán Crespo
- Mirja Vehkaperä
- Marie-Christine Vergiat
- Marie-Pierre Vieu
- Julie Ward
- Xabier Benito Ziluaga
- Gabi Zimmer