Trade and investment policy,Publication,Raw materials policy

Travel guide: Globally just green transformation? The Role of Trade Agreements in European Raw Materials Security

Globally just green transformation? The Role of Trade Agreements in European Raw Materials Security

The guide to the role of trade agreements for European raw material security

In order to switch energy supply, transport and industry to propulsion and the supply of renewable energies, and thus to drive the green transformation envisaged in the European Green Deal, the EU needs a lot of mineral and metallic raw materials. Through trade instruments, such as a Critical Raw Materials Club or the Global Gateway investment project launched in 2021, the EU is trying to secure access to these much-needed and in-demand raw materials. In addition, the EU has concluded strategic raw materials partnerships with several countries, and others are under negotiation. Trade agreements also play an important role in securing raw materials. The energy and raw materials chapters enshrined in these agreements, which aim to reduce trade and investment barriers and promote the extraction of raw materials, lead to an expansion of extractive projects.
However, the EU's approach is at odds with a globally just green transformation. Why and how trade agreements exacerbate global injustices and what social and environmental impacts the extraction of raw materials such as lithium has on people and the environment in the Global South are highlighted in our latest guide “Global Just Green Transformation? The Role of Trade Agreements in European Raw Materials Security”. This was created in cooperation with ATTAC Germany, ATTAC Austria, Anders Handeln, Forum Umwelt und Entwicklung and Naturfreunde Deutschland.

 

This project was funded by the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection. Funding is provided by decision of the German Bundestag.

The responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors.

 

You can find out more about our work on the EU-Mercosur Agreement and trade policy in general here.

 

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