At a time when the future legislation on critical raw materials has just entered a third round of inter-institutional negotiations (trilogue), 15 NGOs are publishing a joint letter to draw the attention of European legislators to the crucial importance of the ‘certification schemes’ detailed in Annex IV of the text and that relate to the sustainability of “strategic projects”.
This annex sets out the criteria with which projects from third countries must comply. According to several diplomatic sources, these are currently being negotiated intensively and have been criticised by some delegations for their lack of ambition.
The NGOs are in favour of the version of the text as amended and voted by the European Parliament (see EUROPE 13250/17, 13245/1), as it includes “the criterion of multi-stakeholder governance”. This is essential if the EU is to ensure that approved projects are compliant: “Mining sector standards vary widely and lack the transparency and rigor to provide credible information on companies’ practices more often than not. Research has repeatedly shown how certification schemes, particularly those with weak governance, have failed to effectively uphold their standards”, they warn.
For the fifteen signatories, the introduction of this ‘multi-stakeholder governance’ criterion would make it possible to “reduce conflicts of interest [...] by giving a voice to those negatively impacted by the extractive industry”.
To see the letter, go to https://aeur.eu/f/9jb (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)