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Global Witness

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Global Witness is an international NGO that investigates corruption and environmental abuses in the natural resource sectors.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Member of the European Parliament) and Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) and

17 Nov 2025 · Sustainability omnibus - update for civil society

Meeting with Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) and

3 Nov 2025 · Sustainability omnibus - update for civil society

Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament) and Fern

8 Oct 2025 · Deforestation Regulation

Meeting with Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) and

2 Oct 2025 · Sustainability omnibus - update for civil society

Meeting with Rasmus Nordqvist (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Sept 2025 · Fossil fuel taxation

Meeting with Taru Haapaniemi (Cabinet of Commissioner Christophe Hansen) and WWF European Policy Programme and

17 Jul 2025 · EUDR and its implementation

Meeting with Nicolo Brignoli (Cabinet of Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis) and ClientEarth AISBL and

18 Jun 2025 · Omnibus

Meeting with Ilhan Kyuchyuk (Member of the European Parliament)

11 Jun 2025 · Omnibus 1 package & simplification efforts

Meeting with Lara Wolters (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

27 May 2025 · Omnibus

Meeting with Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and European Coalition for Corporate Justice

22 May 2025 · Sustainability omnibus and climate transition plans

Meeting with Mika Aaltola (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion)

22 May 2025 · EU affairs

Meeting with Kathleen Van Brempt (Member of the European Parliament)

15 May 2025 · Myanmar - Rare Earth Minerals and the Environmental and Social Impact

Meeting with Wouter Beke (Member of the European Parliament, Delegation chair)

15 May 2025 · Myanmar - Heavy Rare Earth minerals and earthquake of 28 March

Meeting with Ingeborg Ter Laak (Member of the European Parliament)

15 May 2025 · Mining Myanmar

Meeting with Bruno Tobback (Member of the European Parliament)

15 May 2025 · Heavy Rare Earth Minerals and the Environmental and Social Impact

Meeting with Robert Biedroń (Member of the European Parliament)

14 May 2025 · Impact of mining in Myanmar

Meeting with Carola Rackete (Member of the European Parliament)

14 May 2025 · Critical minerals in Myanmar

Meeting with Mohammed Chahim (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Heinrich Böll Stiftung e.V.

14 May 2025 · Critical Raw Materials Environmental Affects in Myanmar

Global Witness demands clear rules for EUDR second-hand exclusions

13 May 2025
Topic — The Commission is consulting on amending the product list for the EU Deforestation Regulation.
Message — Global Witness calls for clear definitions and guidance regarding the exclusion of second-hand products. They propose that operators must keep records of used product transactions for five years.12
Why — Standardised definitions ensure the regulation's impact is not diluted by administrative loopholes or fraud.3
Impact — Traders lose the ability to bypass environmental checks by falsely claiming new products are used.4
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Meeting with Lynn Boylan (Member of the European Parliament) and Heinrich Böll Stiftung e.V.

13 May 2025 · Critical Raw Materials extraction in Myanmar

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion)

10 Apr 2025 · Omnibus I

Meeting with Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Mar 2025 · Omnibus

Meeting with Gabriele Bischoff (Member of the European Parliament) and Frank Bold Society

20 Mar 2025 · Omnibus

Meeting with Sarah Nelen (Acting Director Environment) and WWF European Policy Programme and

5 Mar 2025 · EUDR Risk Benchmarking System

Meeting with Terry Reintke (Member of the European Parliament)

29 Jan 2025 · Human Rights, Environmental Protection; Natural Resources

Meeting with Vita Jukne (Cabinet of Commissioner Jessika Roswall) and ClientEarth AISBL and

29 Jan 2025 · Upcoming Omnibus proposal

Meeting with Mirzha De Manuel (Cabinet of Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis), Nicolo Brignoli (Cabinet of Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis) and

20 Jan 2025 · Exchange of views on the simplification policy

Meeting with Catarina Vieira (Member of the European Parliament)

12 Nov 2024 · ENV Defenders Philippines

Meeting with Wouter Beke (Member of the European Parliament, Delegation chair)

12 Nov 2024 · Environment / human rights in the Philippines

Meeting with Marit Maij (Member of the European Parliament)

11 Nov 2024 · Meeting on the environmental situation in the Philippines

Response to Greenhouse gas emissions savings methodology for low-carbon fuels

25 Oct 2024

Dear Madam / Sir, Thank you for this opportunity to feedback on the draft methodology to determine GHG emissions savings from low-carbon fuels. Please find attached a submission from the NGO Global Witness. Best wishes, Dominic Eagleton
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Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament) and WWF European Policy Programme and

15 Oct 2024 · deforestation

Meeting with Peter Van Kemseke (Cabinet of President Ursula von der Leyen)

9 Oct 2024 · EUDR (NGOs)

Meeting with Chloé Ridel (Member of the European Parliament)

26 Sept 2024 · protecting human rights defenders across the world

Meeting with Delara Burkhardt (Member of the European Parliament) and WWF European Policy Programme and

18 Sept 2024 · EUDR

Meeting with Delara Burkhardt (Member of the European Parliament)

23 Aug 2024 · EUDR

Meeting with Catarina Vieira (Member of the European Parliament)

23 Jul 2024 · Safeguarding of human rights by companies

Meeting with Kathleen Van Brempt (Member of the European Parliament)

22 Jul 2024 · Deforestation

Meeting with Lara Wolters (Member of the European Parliament)

17 Jul 2024 · CSDDD and Deforestation

Meeting with Thomas Waitz (Member of the European Parliament)

17 Jul 2024 · Due Dilligence, EUDR

Meeting with Christophe Hansen (Member of the European Parliament) and Better Europe

17 Jul 2024 · EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)

Meeting with Carola Rackete (Member of the European Parliament)

16 Jul 2024 · General Introductions and fields of work

Meeting with Michal Wiezik (Member of the European Parliament) and Greenpeace European Unit

11 Apr 2024 · Financing of ecosystem risk activities

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Climate Action Network Europe and

21 Feb 2024 · gas package

Meeting with René Repasi (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion) and Fairshare Educational Foundation (ShareAction)

20 Nov 2023 · EU-Lieferkettengesetz/ Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Climate Action Network Europe and

27 Oct 2023 · gas regulation

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Climate Action Network Europe and ClientEarth AISBL

11 Oct 2023 · gas regulation

Meeting with Jens Geier (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Climate Action Network Europe and Better Europe

28 Sept 2023 · Exchange on the gas market directive

Meeting with Jens Geier (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Better Europe

14 Sept 2023 · Exchange on the gas market directive (staff level)

Global Witness urges EU to restore mandatory sustainability reporting

7 Jul 2023
Topic — Draft standards determining how companies report their environmental and social impact data.
Message — The organization requests mandatory reporting for emissions and biodiversity to prevent greenwashing. They demand the removal of voluntary reporting options and conditional materiality assessments.12
Why — Mandatory reporting provides the data transparency required for their climate justice investigations.34
Impact — Environment and local communities suffer when companies hide their links to deforestation.5
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Meeting with Lara Wolters (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

7 Jul 2023 · Staff level: CSDD Directive

Meeting with René Repasi (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion) and Fairshare Educational Foundation (ShareAction)

7 Jul 2023 · EU-Lieferkettengesetz/ Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive - Staff Level

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament) and Climate Action Network Europe and Friends of the Earth Europe

4 Jul 2023 · gas phase out in 2040

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Climate Action Network Europe and ClientEarth AISBL

21 Jun 2023 · gas package

Meeting with Raphaël Glucksmann (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Jun 2023 · APA Level - CSDDD

Meeting with Jens Geier (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and EUROGAS and

7 Jun 2023 · Exchange on the gas market directive (staff level)

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Climate Action Network Europe and ClientEarth AISBL

6 Jun 2023 · gas package

Global Witness urges Commission to ban biodiversity offsets

3 May 2023
Topic — The consultation defines environmentally sustainable economic activities for four major EU objectives.
Message — Global Witness calls for the publication of evidence explaining why certain sectors were omitted. They demand the exclusion of biodiversity offsets and stronger alignment with deforestation regulations.123
Why — Stronger rules would ensure financial standards align with science-based decarbonisation goals.4
Impact — Businesses would lose the ability to use offsets to qualify as sustainable.5
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Meeting with René Repasi (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion)

2 May 2023 · EU-Lieferkettengesetz/ Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive - Staff Level

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament) and Greenpeace European Unit and

27 Apr 2023 · follow up on deforestation file

Meeting with Jens Geier (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and ClientEarth AISBL

26 Apr 2023 · Exchange on the gas market directive

Meeting with Axel Voss (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and BUSINESSEUROPE and

8 Mar 2023 · Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence

Meeting with Karen Melchior (Member of the European Parliament) and ClientEarth AISBL and Rainforest Alliance

2 Mar 2023 · Discussion of importance of multi-tier compliance obligation, clear definitions and NGO concerns in CSDDD.

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Climate Action Network Europe and Friends of the Earth Europe

26 Jan 2023 · gas regulation

Meeting with Damien Carême (Member of the European Parliament) and Amnesty International Limited and

13 Jan 2023 · Le devoir de vigilance des entreprises

Meeting with Heidi Hautala (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Amnesty International Limited and

13 Jan 2023 · Due Diligence (staff level)

Meeting with Malte Gallée (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion) and Amnesty International Limited and

13 Jan 2023 · Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive

Meeting with Claude Gruffat (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion)

6 Dec 2022 · CSDDD

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Climate Action Network Europe and

30 Nov 2022 · gas market

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Greenpeace European Unit and

23 Nov 2022 · deforestation

Meeting with Pascal Durand (Member of the European Parliament) and ClientEarth AISBL

21 Nov 2022 · CSDDD (APA only)

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

17 Nov 2022 · deforestation

Meeting with Axel Voss (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Amnesty International Limited and

15 Nov 2022 · Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence

Meeting with Heidi Hautala (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Amnesty International Limited and

15 Nov 2022 · NGO roundtable on Due Diligence

Meeting with Tiemo Wölken (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion) and ClientEarth AISBL and Stichting World Benchmarking Alliance Foundation

9 Nov 2022 · Lieferkettengesetz

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Greenpeace European Unit and

26 Oct 2022 · deforestation

Meeting with Katherine Power (Cabinet of Commissioner Mairead Mcguinness)

27 Sept 2022 · EU sanctions against Russia

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

22 Sept 2022 · Due diligence

Meeting with Tiemo Wölken (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion)

7 Sept 2022 · Corporate Due Diligence Directive

Meeting with Sara Cerdas (Member of the European Parliament) and ClientEarth AISBL and

6 Sept 2022 · Desflorestação

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Greenpeace European Unit and

2 Sept 2022 · deforestation

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

31 Aug 2022 · deforestation

Meeting with Michal Wiezik (Member of the European Parliament) and ClientEarth AISBL and Fern

5 Jul 2022 · Imported Deforestation Regulation

Meeting with Damien Carême (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion) and Climate Action Network Europe

30 Jun 2022 · Devoir de vigilance des entreprises en matière de durabilité

Meeting with Heidi Hautala (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Ericsson and Anti-Slavery International

28 Jun 2022 · Stakeholder consultation on Directive on corporate sustainability due diligence

Meeting with Aleksandra Tomczak (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and Sandbag Climate Campaign CIC

28 Jun 2022 · Discussion about RePowerEU Plan and the impacts on climate neutrality objectives

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Greenpeace European Unit

27 Jun 2022 · deforestation

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Climate Action Network Europe and

23 Jun 2022 · gas regulation

Meeting with Malte Gallée (Member of the European Parliament) and European Coalition for Corporate Justice and Frank Bold Society

10 Jun 2022 · Due Diligence

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Greenpeace European Unit

1 Jun 2022 · deforestation

Meeting with Lara Wolters (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

30 May 2022 · Webinar - Moment of Truth

Global Witness Urges EU to End Corporate 'Tick-Box' Due Diligence

23 May 2022
Topic — Consultation on rules for companies to respect human rights and environmental standards.
Message — The group demands a clear corporate duty to prevent harms across the entire value chain. They also seek mandatory climate due diligence and an end to financial institution exemptions.123
Why — Stronger rules would provide the organization with legal power to hold abusive corporations liable in court.4
Impact — Financial firms would lose their exemptions and face mandatory, continuous oversight of their clients' value chains.5
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Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

10 May 2022 · Due diligence

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and WWF European Policy Programme and

4 Apr 2022 · deforestation

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and WWF European Policy Programme and

18 Mar 2022 · deforestation

Meeting with Barry Andrews (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion)

17 Mar 2022 · CSDDD

Meeting with Jens Geier (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

16 Mar 2022 · Exchange on the gas market directive

Meeting with Anna Cavazzini (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion)

16 Mar 2022 · EU Deforestation Regulation (staff level)

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and WWF European Policy Programme and

15 Mar 2022 · deforestation

Meeting with Alexandra Geese (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs and

10 Mar 2022 · Digital Services Act

Meeting with Marie Toussaint (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and WWF European Policy Programme and

23 Feb 2022 · deforestation

Meeting with Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager) and OXFAM INTERNATIONAL EU ADVOCACY OFFICE and

14 Feb 2022 · Sustainable Corporate Governance

Meeting with Wojtek Talko (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

9 Feb 2022 · Climate due diligence

Meeting with Antoine Colombani (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and ClientEarth AISBL and

26 Jan 2022 · Sustainable corporate governance and due diligence

Meeting with Hannah Neumann (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and Amnesty International Limited and

7 Dec 2021 · Expert Round Table on EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders

Meeting with Andrea Beltramello (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis) and European Coalition for Corporate Justice and

29 Nov 2021 · Due diligence and forced labour

Meeting with Lara Wolters (Member of the European Parliament)

18 Nov 2021 · CSRD

Meeting with Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager), Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager) and Business Human Rights Resource Centre

12 Nov 2021 · EU Sustainable Corporate Governance

Meeting with Thierry Breton (Commissioner) and

9 Nov 2021 · Governance, hydrogen

Meeting with Jorge Pinto Antunes (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski) and WWF European Policy Programme and

9 Nov 2021 · Forestry

Meeting with Thierry Breton (Commissioner) and

8 Nov 2021 · Sustainable Corporate Governance

Meeting with Andrea Beltramello (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis) and WWF European Policy Programme and

28 Oct 2021 · Sustainable corporate governance initiative

Meeting with Ivana McDowell (Cabinet of Commissioner Nicolas Schmit)

23 Sept 2021 · proposal on sustainable corporate governance

Meeting with Agnieszka Skonieczna (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton), Filomena Chirico (Cabinet of Commissioner Thierry Breton)

22 Sept 2021 · Sustainable Corporate Governance

Meeting with Aleksandra Tomczak (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans)

21 Sept 2021 · East Med gas projects – state of play

Meeting with Jorge Pinto Antunes (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski) and ClientEarth AISBL

20 Sept 2021 · Human Rights and Deforestation

Meeting with Diana Montero Melis (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and ClientEarth AISBL

20 Sept 2021 · upcoming deforestation regulation and human rights (meeting organized by CAB Wojciechowski)

Meeting with Diana Montero Melis (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen), Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and

17 Sept 2021 · upcoming proposal on sustainable corporate governance

Meeting with Simona Constantin (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová) and Frank Bold Society

27 Jul 2021 · Sustainable Corporate Governance

Response to Revision of Non-Financial Reporting Directive

14 Jul 2021

Global Witness welcomes the proposed Corporate Sustainable Reporting Directive as this is critical to meet the EU's transition towards a sustainable and resilient economy. However, in order to have a meaningful impact, there must be urgent amendments made to the proposal in the co-legislative process to strengthen the proposal: 1. The scope should be further extended to cover small and medium-sized companies from high-risk sectors: The proposal extends the scope to cover all large companies, and SMEs (excluding micro-undertakings) whose transferable securities are admitted to trading on a regulated market of any Member State. However, it excludes SMEs that are not publicly listed, irrespective of whether they operate in high risk and high-impact sectors which need to undergo a transformation. SMEs listed on SME Growth Markets and other MTFs are also excluded from the Commission’s proposal. The Commission’s proposal also includes an exemption for subsidiaries whose parent companies provide a consolidated sustainability report, and doesn’t take into account foreign groups. 2. The requirements to disclose the due diligence process must be based on the requirements of the upcoming Sustainable Governance Initiative: This requirements of the proposal must align with those set out in the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights and the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct is needed to ensure reporting on material impacts by companies on people and the planet, and to provide clear guidance for the development of the EU standards. 3. The mandate for the European Commission’s to adopt standards specifying information to be disclosed by undertakings on ‘social’ factors category should provide a clearer and more coherent structure: The standard should be based on human rights and environmental due diligence, which needs to be clearly identified in the Directive; because social factors are a manifestation of human rights. For further and more detailed views we kindly refer you to the attached position that was drafted by NGOs and CSOs as part of the Alliance for Corporate Transparency. Please also see the following publications which outlines our views on these issues: https://www.globalwitness.org/en/blog/eu-needs-hold-financial-sector-account-if-it-end-its-complicity-global-deforestation/ https://www.globalwitness.org/en/blog/why-climate-risk-reporting-will-not-stop-finance-industry-bankrolling-deforestation/ https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/holding-corporates-account/holding-companies-to-account-a-blueprint-for-european-legislation/
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Meeting with Werner Stengg (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager) and Frank Bold Society and

7 Jul 2021 · Sustainable corporate governance

Meeting with Andrea Beltramello (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis), Caroline Boeshertz (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis) and

27 May 2021 · Due diligence

Meeting with Jorge Pinto Antunes (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski) and European Environmental Bureau

21 May 2021 · Renewable Energy Directive / "Fit for 55" package

Meeting with Andrea Beltramello (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis), Caroline Boeshertz (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis) and

7 May 2021 · Deforestation

Meeting with Eglantine Cujo (Cabinet of Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius) and WWF European Policy Programme and

7 May 2021 · Discussion about Commission's legislative proposal on deforestation and forest degradation

Meeting with Diana Montero Melis (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and WWF European Policy Programme and

30 Apr 2021 · upcoming regulation on deforestation

Meeting with Jorge Pinto Antunes (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski) and WWF European Policy Programme and

29 Apr 2021 · Deforestation and forest degradation.

Meeting with Toma Šutić (Cabinet of Vice-President Dubravka Šuica)

22 Apr 2021 · EU Sustainable Corporate Governance & Corporate Due Diligence

Response to Digital Services Act: deepening the Internal Market and clarifying responsibilities for digital services

31 Mar 2021

Please find enclosed Global Witness' feedback and recommendations for improving the Digital Services Act.
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Meeting with Diana Montero Melis (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen), Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and

22 Mar 2021 · corporate due diligence

Global Witness demands fossil gas phase-out in EU market reform

10 Mar 2021
Topic — Revision of EU gas transmission network rules to enable renewable gases.
Message — The organization demands rules facilitating near total elimination of fossil gas by 2050, immediate end to all fossil gas subsidies, and decommissioning of unneeded infrastructure. They argue against relying on unproven technologies like carbon capture and hydrogen from fossil sources.123
Why — This would advance their climate justice goals by preventing fossil fuel industry lock-in.45
Impact — Gas industry loses existing infrastructure and business model as market dramatically shrinks.67
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Global Witness urges end to gas industry influence

8 Mar 2021
Topic — Reforming EU rules for selecting and funding major trans-European energy infrastructure projects.
Message — The coalition demands removing gas transport companies from the selection process. They call for excluding all fossil-based hydrogen and carbon capture infrastructure. Independent experts should lead energy scenario planning and strictly define sustainability criteria.12
Why — This reform would ensure that public money is no longer wasted on fossil projects.3
Impact — Gas transport companies would lose their political influence and access to subsidies.4
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Meeting with Andrea Beltramello (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis)

8 Mar 2021 · Due diligence

Meeting with Laure Chapuis (Cabinet of Commissioner Kadri Simson) and Food & Water Action Europe and

9 Feb 2021 · - EU climate neutrality, role of gas - East Med gas project

Meeting with Aleksandra Tomczak (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans), Anthony Agotha (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and

9 Feb 2021 · - EU climate neutrality, role of gas - East Med gas project

Meeting with Kitti Nyitrai (Cabinet of Commissioner Kadri Simson) and Climate Action Network Europe and

14 Jan 2021 · TEN-E

Meeting with Didier Reynders (Commissioner) and

4 Dec 2020 · Substainable corporate governance

Meeting with Axel Voss (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Amnesty International Limited and

30 Nov 2020 · Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence

Meeting with Barry Andrews (Member of the European Parliament)

27 Nov 2020 · Sustainability

Response to Sustainable corporate governance

8 Oct 2020

Global Witness firmly supports the introduction of binding EU legislation on corporate due diligence and liability to ensure that companies are held accountable for their impact on people and planet. We call on the Commission to be a global leader by introducing effective and robust legislation that establishes cross-sectoral mandatory human rights, environmental and governance due diligence obligations for all companies, including finance, and ask the Commission to integrate the following asks in their policy work: 1. EU legislation must serve stakeholders: All policy, legislative and corporate human rights and environmental due diligence and liability processes must place rightsholders at the core. The EU must actively engage with all relevant stakeholders, such as indigenous peoples and environmental and land defenders throughout the legislative process, by adopting the standard of requiring Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). Practically the consultation phase should allow for all relevant stakeholders both inside and outside the EU to submit their views. 2. Scope of companies covered: The assessment conducted by the Commission must include in scope all business enterprises, no matter their size, sector or corporate structure, so that the final legislation has the largest and most comprehensive scope possible. The risk of a business is not automatically related to its size or sector, and in order to ensure risk mitigation in the entire value chain business of all sizes and in all sectors must be included in scope. This approach is in line with the OECD MNE Guidelines which have been agreed by the vast majority of EU member states, business and civil society to ensure that all companies are required to identify, cease, prevent, mitigate, monitor, account and remedy for potential and actual human rights and environmental adverse impacts through an ongoing due diligence process. Financial institutions such as banks must also be included in the scope and the legislation must oblige them to undertake due diligence on companies they are financing. 3. Scope of Risks: Human rights, environmental and corruption impacts should be at the heart of the EU’s sustainability agenda. Global Witness has found extensive evidence that corruption accelerates these trends. Systemic and endemic corruption violates core human rights principles of transparency, accountability and non-discrimination, and steals funds away from the public purse, reducing governments’ capacity to mitigate environmental impacts, and protect fundamental rights like housing and clean water. It contributes to an environment in which other human rights abuses can occur with impunity: mass arrests and detention, degrading treatment or torture of suspects. Therefore, we call on the Commission to assess the impacts on governance risks and to include them as part of the upcoming legislative proposal. 4. Remediation and Access to Justice: Effective remediation must be seen as integral to meaningful corporate due diligence and liability legislation. Access to judicial remedies is vital, as are both civil and criminal liability for business enterprises which violate, contribute to or cause harm in their supply chains and within their operations and business relationships. Access to justice, civil and criminal liability must be assessed as a means of enforcement of the new EU legislation. 5. Voluntary measures have failed: The Commission must take note of the fact that their Study on Supply Chain Due Diligence has shown that voluntary measures have failed. There is no credible evidence that current industry initiatives (self-regulation) have a meaningful impact to promote human rights and environmental standards. Future EU legislation should not give a role to any industry schemes which would simply outsource the obligation of due diligence and potentially liability without delivering on the key objectives of the new rules.
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Meeting with Axel Voss (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and OXFAM INTERNATIONAL EU ADVOCACY OFFICE and

22 Sept 2020 · Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence

Meeting with Mikuláš Peksa (Member of the European Parliament)

30 Jun 2020 · Natural resources corruption

Meeting with Didier Reynders (Commissioner) and

5 Jun 2020 · Sustainable corporate governance

Meeting with Axel Voss (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and European Coalition for Corporate Justice

2 Jun 2020 · Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence

Response to EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy

20 Jan 2020

Global Witness welcomes Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen’s initiative to preserve and restore biodiversity as an integral element of the European Green Deal, as it aims at introducing new standards to address the main causes of biodiversity loss by 2030. As a key global actor and signatory of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, the EU has a duty to act in halting biodiversity loss globally, including protecting the world’s carbon rich forests, which are home to 80% of the world’s terrestrial biodiversity and around 1.6 billion people depend on them. Biodiversity has never before been under more threat from human activity. The 2019 landmark report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) clearly states that direct and indirect drivers of ecosystems change have accelerated during the past 50 years, and that most of the underlying causes are linked to production and consumption patterns, mainly in developed countries. 75 per cent of the land surface is significantly altered and across much of the highly biodiverse tropics 32 million hectares of primary or recovering forest were lost between 2010 and 2015. The European Commission has recognised that 10% of global deforestation is directly related to EU trade and consumption of forests-risk commodities such as palm oil, beef, soy, cocoa, maize, timber and rubber. As Global Witness’ recent investigation Money to Burn has shown, the role of finance plays a crucial role in global deforestation, with significant EU banks providing finance for companies associated with deforestation. The Amazon and recent Australian fires are a stark reminder of the scale and immediacy of the challenge we face if no prompt and significant action is taken to tackle climate change and deforestation. The EU must take an ambitious position at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity in October 2020 by pushing for full adoption of the post-2020 global diversity framework, including legally binding targets accompanied by strong enforcement and implementation, both at the EU and global level, with measures to address the main drivers of biodiversity loss.The EU should show global leadership by prioritising action to tackling deforestation and protecting carbon rich tropical forests. In particular, it should lead the way by committing to legislative action to tackle deforestation associated with the EU’s consumption and investments. The EU Communication on protecting and restoring the world’s forests is an important step in this direction.This should now be followed by new regulation that requires companies and investors to undertake due diligence across their supply chains and investments in order to identify, prevent, mitigate and report on deforestation and related human rights risks.This should be accompanied by strong and effective enforcement mechanisms and sanctions, learning from the experience of other legislation including the EU Timber Regulation. Due diligence is an established business practice routinely undertaken for commercial and legal risks, with internationally agreed OECD guidelines on how it should also be applied for risks associated with the environment and human rights. Requiring this to be undertaken through the introduction of legislation would level the playing field to ensure that companies who disregard the impact of their operations on the environment and human rights do not undercut companies already assessing these risks. This would deliver a much needed shift in corporate culture and provide better protection of our world’s ecosystems and biodiversity.
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Meeting with Monika Ladmanova (Cabinet of Vice-President Věra Jourová)

19 Dec 2019 · Risks around EU residency and passport schemes

Response to Stepping up EU Action against Deforestation and Forest Degradation

15 Jan 2019

Global Witness welcomes the road map and plans to publish a communication on stepping up EU Action Against Deforestation and Forest Degradation. However, we are concerned that the road map indicates that the long-awaited communication may not include the measures needed to make a difference as it appears to rule out new legislation and is limited to setting out a “framework for existing policies and tools”. The European Commission’s own studies have pointed to the extent to which EU imports are linked to deforestation. Tree cover loss has been rising steadily in the tropics over the past 17 years and 2017 was the second-worst on record for tropical tree cover loss, due in part to clearance for agriculture. We are currently well off track from meeting the Sustainable Development Goal to halt deforestation by 2020. The European Parliament called on the European Commission to introduce a meaningful EU Action Plan on deforestation and forest degradation that includes concrete and coherent regulatory measures. EU member states participating in the Amsterdam Initiative have also called on the European Commission to adopt an “ambitious Action Plan”. The initiative outlined in the current roadmap risks falling short on both of these calls to action due to an absence of proposals for new legislation. It is therefore imperative that the European Commission builds on corporate commitments by introducing legislative measures to tackle the EU’s consumption of agricultural commodities to ensure that supply chains linked to the EU market are sustainable, free from deforestation and forest degradation and comply with international standards and obligations on rights of indigenous peoples and local communities. These measures should address the sustainability of the commodities, as any focus solely on illegally harvested agricultural commodities would fail to tackle much of the world’s deforestation and forest degradation. As pointed out in the feasibility study, “The main disadvantage of the legality approach is […] that the national laws in question may not be adequate to deliver the underlying objective of reducing the impact on forests. While a legality approach should reduce illegal activities, it may not be sufficient to address legal deforestation.” We further urge the EU to adopt a mandatory due diligence regime for importers of agricultural commodities, as well as institutional investors, to carry out to due diligence in order to identify, mitigate and publicly report on the environmental, social and governance risks in their supply and investment chains, including risks of deforestation and forest degradation. The initiative should include a specific element on financial investment as EU based investors have been shown to play a key role in funding projects linked to deforestation and forest degradation as well as human rights abuses, land grabs, as highlighted by Global Witness. The Sustainable Finance Action Plan provides a useful starting point, however, the scope of this plan should cover all investors including banks, asset managers, investment funds, insurers and pension funds. Companies must also be required to disclose all the relevant information needed to enable investors to fulfil their new obligations through an update to the legislative framework for company reporting. As recommended by the feasibility study, the EU should show “a leadership role, mobilising its political and market leverage, and promoting broader international dialogue and cooperation”. The EU should prioritise deforestation and forest degradation in its dialogue with both producer and consumer countries, such as Brazil and China, and at global level using 2020 as a key year for pledges to halt deforestation to secure high-level action. This should also address the role played by global finance, where the EU could play a leading role due to its recent work on ESG and green finance.
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Response to EU Company law upgraded Package:digital solutions and providing efficient rules for cross border operations of companies

9 Jul 2018

*Please see our complete feedback in the attachment Global Witness comments on the Proposal for a Directive amending Directive 2017/1132 as regards digital tools and processes About us: Global Witness is an international advocacy organisation that investigates and seeks to break the links between natural resources, conflict and environmental and human rights abuses. Our model is to carry out hard-hitting investigations, expose these abuses, and campaign for policy change. We are independent, not-for-profit, and work with international partners. NB: Please note this submission has been developed in collaboration with OpenCorporates and other civil society partners. As such, sections of this submission are likely to overlap with their comments. Executive summary: We welcome the opportunity to comment on the Proposal for increasing access to critical company information to all stakeholders, particularly those for whom the existing system fails to work, including SMEs, employees, civil society, investors and law enforcement. The proposal for the Directive extends the scope of access to information about companies, and correctly identifies many of the issues, particularly the barriers to access and use of data. However, we live in a world where people and companies get their information where, when and how they want it (via apps, via Software As A Service and Data As A Service platforms, and via deep integration with other datasets). In order to deliver the outcomes of the directive, it is essential that the company information identified by the proposal is not just free of charge, but published under an open licence that allows reuse, and as structured data that can easily be combined with other datasets. By making this information available as open data – an approach recognized by both the European Commission (hereafter ‘the Commission’) and the G8 as maximizing the utility of the data – the underlying goals of the directive can be achieved both quickly, easily, and for almost zero cost. Without open data we do not believe that the underlying goals will be achieved. As the Open Definition describes, open data “means anyone can freely access, use, modify, and share for any purpose (subject, at most, to requirements that preserve provenance and openness)”. Our recommendations for the proposal are therefore as follows: 1. Company information must be made available as structured data, free of charge, under an open reuse licence 2. The core data points made available as open data should, at a minimum, include company directors, shareholders, and crucially, beneficial owners, to allow other companies, employees and other stakeholders to understand who they’re doing business with, and the risks involved in doing so. 3. A consistent format for the collection and sharing of beneficial ownership information is imperative to ensure data quality and enable data to be easily linked across the EU. The Beneficial Ownership Data Standard, developed by OpenOwnership, can serve as an important guide for doing so. 4. Unique identifiers should be allocated to individuals (e.g. officers, beneficial owners, directors) listed in EU company registers, to allow for more precise identification and cross-referencing across data sets, avoiding the need to disclose more personal data (e.g. day of birth, ID number). 5. The Commission should work with wider stakeholders to understand how further information made available as open data could further reduce the barriers to cross border business, increasing trust and transparency, and create a hostile environment for bad actors.
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Meeting with Hilde Hardeman (Head of service Foreign Policy Instruments)

13 Jun 2018 · Diamond supply chain

Meeting with Kevin O'Connell (Cabinet of Commissioner Věra Jourová)

26 Sept 2017 · AMLD

Meeting with Jon Nyman (Cabinet of Vice-President Cecilia Malmström)

8 Sept 2017 · Work of Global Witness on the extractives industry in Myanmar, and negotiations on an EU-Myanmar investment protection agreement.

Response to Joint Communication Elements for a new EU Strategy in Afghanistan

2 May 2017

Corruption and other governance issues are a critical underlying factor in insecurity and the lack of progress on development. This should be a key focus of EU engagement. In particular, the EU should press for the inclusion of strong, measurable benchmarks on concrete reforms in bilateral and multi-lateral mutual accountability agreements, and for donors to strictly implement the benchmarks that already exist. The EU should take a lead in comprehensive monitoring of the value for money of aid to Afghanistan to ensure that the process does not foster corruption. Given ongoing instability in the country, a focus on and support to local governance and their ability to manage conflict should also be incorporated. Finally, the EU has shown very welcome leadership on improving extractives governance. This is a critical and very much under-prioritised field: mining is the second largest source of funding for the Taliban, and the government is losing an estimated $300m a year at least in revenues from the sector. Afghanistan has yet to put in place basic reforms, and the Ministry of Mines does not even have the capacity to manage very basic contract information - possibly a reflection of the deep corruption in the sector. We ask that the EU work with partners and the Afghan government to agree a limited number of transparency and governance reforms as mutual accountability benchmarks for the extractive sector - including a hard benchmark on better data management, and strong implementation of the Brussels conference commitment on the Mining Law. Attached is a briefing note with more details on possible reforms - we hope that the EU will work to incorporate the most important of them into mutual accountability for mining sector, but also into the overall bilateral relationship - at the highest level.
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Meeting with Valdis Dombrovskis (Vice-President) and

27 Oct 2016 · Sustainable Finance; CMU

Meeting with Cecile Billaux (Cabinet of Vice-President Cecilia Malmström) and Amnesty International Limited

28 Apr 2016 · conflict minerals

Meeting with Aurore Maillet (Cabinet of Vice-President Karmenu Vella)

18 Nov 2015 · EU Timber Regulation, Illegal Logging

Meeting with Cecile Billaux (Cabinet of Vice-President Cecilia Malmström)

8 Oct 2015 · Conflict minerals