At the plenary session on Tuesday 12 December, MEPs voted overwhelmingly in favour of the text of the Critical Raw Materials Act, which had been validated at the last trilogue in November (see EUROPE 13292/6). With 549 votes in favour, 49 against and 24 abstentions, Parliament was very much in favour of the text as a whole.
As we detailed in our previous pages, the latest version of the text introduces a number of changes, notably with regard to the deadlines for granting permits and the targets for processing raw materials and recycling.
The list of ‘strategic’ raw materials reflects the proposals made by the Council and Parliament. The timescales for granting permits have been extended by several months compared with the Commission’s proposal, and the transformation targets have been reduced to 40% of the EU’s annual consumption.
During the debate ahead of the vote, which took place on Tuesday morning, the majority of speakers welcomed the final form of the text and its ambitions for the Union’s strategic autonomy and resilience. The regulation must now be formally adopted by the Council before it can enter into force. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)