The Critical Raw Materials Act has been in force in the EU since May 2024. EU countries should be able to mine critical raw materials faster. The EU has repeatedly stressed how democratic these processes are. But what is behind the promise of ‘participation’? Not much, shows a new brochure from PowerShift. In Portugal and Spain, for example, protests against a lithium mine are kept small. What are the challenges faced by the groups opposing mining projects? And what kind of participation measures would be needed in order not to pass over the local population? Nora Noll talks about this with Vanessa Fischer and Maja Wilke, speakers for raw materials policy at Powershift.
Current podcasts

Raw materials turnaround instead of raw materials rush – the Raw Materials Week and the Raw Materials Summit
#77

Nickel for the energy transition: How much does the boom in the Philippines cost?
#76

The EU deregulated with a chainsaw
#75

A heat plan for the heat transition
#74

ISDS Scorecard: Which European countries are driving forward the group lawsuit system
#73.1

How ISDS amplifies global injustice
#73

Green steel despite the economic crisis? What is needed for transformation now
#72

Greenland and U.S. access to rare earths
#71.1

Supermagnets from Myanmar: What the need for rare earths means geopolitically and ecologically
#71

How Russian oligarchs challenge sanctions in secret courts
#70.1

Investment protection as a weapon: How Russian oligarchs are attacking sanctions
#70

The EU in the Liquefied Gas Trap
#69.1

