(Bio)Fueling Injustice? - Europafrica

d. Support sustainable small-scale biofuel farming, prioritising the
fulfilment of local energy needs, to the extent that it does not endanger
food security and the control of small food producers over their natural
resources and local livelihoods. A reflection should be conducted on
how to set up mechanisms capable of ensuring globally that small-scale
biofuel production for local use does not threaten food security.
4. Regulate and hold private actors to account
a. Go beyond the voluntary responsible investment paradigm and put in
place legally binding measures to regulate financial and other actors
active in agricultural investment with a view to preventing, and, if it takes
place, remedying land-grabbing. These efforts should be conducted at
both the international and the EU levels simultaneously. In particular,
the EU and its Member States should regulate EU-based companies to
hold them to account with regard to their impacts on human rights, in
line with international human rights standards.
b. Pursue all avenues to hold to account European corporations and
investors which have infringed upon human rights in Africa by
investment in land, including by supporting victims seeking remedies
with all reasonable means.
c. Apply the other recommendations on trade that were made in the 2010
Monitoring Report, inter alia by including clauses with a clear reference
to international human rights law in the current process of adopting a
new investment framework at EU level and by fostering human rights
law expertise in the arbitration mechanisms.
d. Continue and strengthen efforts to support the regulation of private
actors in third countries, in particular in countries with weak governance
where vulnerable people can be harmed.
5. Monitor and assess adequately
a. Without prejudice to any of the points made above, in particular without
prejudice to the necessity to immediately eliminate the biofuel mandates
and subsidies, ensure that the impact of the EU biofuel policy on human
rights, food security, sustainable small-scale agricultural production and
other related social, economic and environmental aspects are
adequately assessed and monitored at all stages of the discussion on
the issue. As a minimum:
i. Sufficient efforts and resources should be devoted to the
monitoring process so that enough data is reviewed and
collected to make the exercise meaningful.
ii. The monitoring of the social impacts of the biofuel policy must
include a careful examination of its impacts on international
human rights standards, including by using the ETO Principles
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