The Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union wants to make rapid progress on the Critical Raw Materials Act, presented by the European Commission on 16 March (see EUROPE 13180/2, 13143/2). “I believe that reaching a mandate by the end of June this year is realistic”, said Swedish Minister for Energy and Industry Ebba Busch. She chaired a debate on the subject with her 26 counterparts on Monday 22 May in Brussels.
The Member States have all expressed their positive appreciation of the proposed Regulation, and especially of its overall objective.
However, they are concerned about the public acceptance of new extraction projects in the EU. Many raised this issue and suggested solutions, especially to the Commission. The EU institution could, for example, communicate more on the benefits of new extraction projects, according to several countries, such as Portugal, Italy and Spain.
Meeting ambitious environmental and sustainability standards can play a crucial role in fostering public acceptance, several ministers said. “Mining companies have to be exemplary for ESG standards”, said Hungarian State Secretary for Industry Gergely Fábián.
And his Danish counterpart, Morten Bødskov, agrees: “We must be sure to follow the toughest standards on sustainability including environmental and social aspects. In addition, the Critical Raw Materials Act must be fully in line with other EU environmental legislation.”
For the European Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, too, public acceptability “is closely linked to a strong environmental and social ambition”. The Commission’s proposal is a step in the right direction because “it ensures that all our environmental objectives are met”, he told EUROPE.
Financing
The success of the EU Raw Materials Act will also depend on the funding that is deployed, according to several Member States.
“We look forward to the Commission’s proposals” in this respect, said French Minister for Industry Roland Lescure. Belgium also called for clarification of the funding mechanisms.
This is especially necessary to invest in research, insisted several of his colleagues. Slovenia, for example, recalled that the EU should support research on the least invasive and most sustainable way of extracting critical raw materials. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)