Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-001220/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Carola Rackete (The Left)
The European Consensus on Development commits the EU and the Member States to implementing a human rights-based approach to development cooperation.
Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 on deforestation-free products mandates adherence to the principle of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).
The Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) demands that projects with the potential to affect indigenous peoples prepare ‘a plan containing measures dedicated to a meaningful consultation of the indigenous peoples affected, the prevention and minimisation of adverse impacts on those indigenous peoples, and, where appropriate, fair compensation’ (recital 20).
Furthermore, the CRMA states that these demands should be implemented according to national and international guidelines, principles and agreements, including, but not limited to, the UNDRIP, the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises on Responsible Business Conduct (Annex III).
Although the CRMA does not provide a clear definition of how ‘meaningful consultation’, ‘prevention of adverse impacts’ or ‘fair compensation’ should be understood, these definitions are clearly stated in the referenced guidelines.
What documentary evidence demonstrating that FPIC has been correctly obtained from affected indigenous peoples does the Commission seek and accept?
Submitted: 24.3.2025