PowerShift criticises the European Commission: Lack of co-determination and lack of transparency in raw material projects

PowerShift criticises the European Commission: Lack of co-determination and lack of transparency in raw material projects

Berlin, 25 March: The environmental organisation PowerShift criticises the list of strategic projects published today by the EU Commission under the Critical Raw Materials Act 2024. These projects benefit from accelerated permitting and political prioritisation, but are often criticised on the ground due to environmental hazards for the local population.

“The EU claims to comply with the highest environmental and social standards in mining. But the secret selection of these strategic projects without any democratic involvement of civil society or stakeholders calls this claim into question", comments Michael Reckordt of PowerShift. “Some of these projects are controversial, as people fear pollution of drinking water and non-compliance with environmental standards.”

“The mining of cheap raw materials for the car industry in Germany and elsewhere endangers our way of life. We, who live on sustainable livestock farming and rely on clean rivers and green pastures, would only experience disadvantages. There can be no question of a just change – mining in Portugal does not follow the rules and the authorities are standing by. The four planned opencast mines and tailings heaps are neither environmentally nor socially compatible. That is why we will formally ask the European Commission to review its decision", explains Nelson Gomes of the citizens' initiative in Covas do Barroso. This is in the north of Portugal against the plans of the British investor Savannah Resources to defend.

"In general, the direction of the strategic projects prioritises the supply interests of industry over the interests of the population concerned", Reckordt adds. “For example, the Critical Raw Materials Act does not contain binding measures to reduce the consumption of raw materials in the EU. It is true that some Member States, such as France and Belgium, have already taken individual steps in the right direction by banning disposable e-cigarettes, imposing high taxes on large and heavy vehicles or promoting the use of recycled building materials. However, without substantial savings at EU level, the newly selected mining projects will not be sufficient in the long term to compensate for the massive waste of raw materials in Europe.”

PowerShift is a member of the Federal German Working Group on Raw Materials, which formulated requirements for a democratic, ecological and social selection of projects in July 2024. These can be found here: https://power-shift.de/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/PowerShift_Hintergrundpapier_Strategische_Projekte.pdf.

In addition, PowerShift is also a member of the European network EU Raw Materials Coalition, which deals with a fair and sustainable raw materials policy at European level.

The EU list of strategic projects can be found here: https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/raw-materials/areas-specific-interest/critical-raw-materials/strategic-projects-under-crma/selected-projects_en

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact:

• Michael Reckordt, Resource Policy Officer, michael.reckordt@power-shift.de, +49 (0)163 6336372
• Adrian Bornmann, Press and Public Relations Officer, adrian.bornmann@power-shift.de, 030-27590497