For example, the investment portfolio of the employment pension company Elo also has connections to settlements. Many companies have also given up cooperation with settlements.
Dozens of companies operating in Finland continue to violate human rights in the Middle East, according to Finnwatch, which investigates international corporate responsibilities from the report. (you switch to another service)
In addition to international companies that also operate in Finland, products from Israel’s illegally established settlements are also sold in Finland. In the selections of the state-owned company Alko, you can still find wines brought from the Golan Heights, which are part of the settlements. Local Ahava cosmetic products are still marketed in Finland. According to the investigations, a small batch of rosemary produced in the colony had accidentally ended up in Kesko’s selections.
In addition to companies, Finnwatch has reviewed the operations of occupational pension companies in the region. Investment activity was minor, but some settlement connections were found in the investment portfolio of the employment pension company Elo.
The organization made a previous report on Israeli settlements ten years ago. Now there were 40 companies and pension investors with financial connections to the settlements.
After the previous survey, several companies have reduced or stopped cooperation with companies operating in the area. It is about the old Palestinian territories, which Israel has occupied in violation of international law. The international community recognizes the Golan as belonging to Syria.
Trade with the settlements has also been reduced
In its new report, Finnwatch found that several companies had given up their operations in the settlements. The pension company Elo had not yet started discussions with its investment targets that could lead to dismissal from the companies operating in the settlement.
Although the organization found something to be noted about the operations of the retail chain Kesko, it commends the group for being the only one of the retail chains investigated to have banned the use of products and raw materials from the region in its own brands and imports.
For example, Alstom, Veolia, Heineken and Sodastream operating in Finland have also given up business operations in the settlements. Instead, for example, international companies such as Wolt and Airbnb continue to operate in settlements. Remax, an American real estate brokerage company operating in Finland, also brokers properties in the regions.
Among others, Finland and the European Union have condemned the illegal settlements established by Israel years ago. Last year, the UN Human Rights Council compiled a list of companies operating in settlements.
Finnwatch: EU import ban
According to Finnwatch, business operations in settlements are against international law and violate human rights.
The organization has tried to influence Israel with business boycotts and investigations. However, it considers it a priority in terms of effects and scope that states impose import bans on colonial products.
According to EU regulations, products imported from settlements must have a label if they were produced in some way in the settlements. They must not be labeled as Israeli in order to mislead consumers. According to the report, imports from the settlements were quite small overall.
– The primary task of companies is not to find out whether the raw material or business operations are sustainable. This should be handled by certification and EU import bans from regions, says Finnwatch’s executive director Sonja Finér In an interview with Radio Suomen Päivä.
According to Finér, the product batches are mixed on purpose, so it is difficult to find out the origin of the raw materials, for example.
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