With the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), mining in Europe is set to increase again. But is the existing legal framework – at both national and EU levels – actually prepared to withstand a new wave of raw material extraction in Europe? And what does this mean for the communities affected on the ground? These are the questions our webinar on 9 December 2025, from 12:00 to 13:00, will address.
While the negative impacts of mining have largely been externalized to the Global South in the past, they could now become increasingly visible in Europe as well: environmental destruction, human rights violations, criminalization of human rights defenders and people opposing the projects as well as the loss of affected communities’ livelihoods.
Against this backdrop, the webinar will look at the CRMA’s strategic projects and the related questions of participation, transparency and human rights safeguards: Which protection mechanisms already exist? Are they sufficient to comply with international human rights obligations – in particular regarding access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice? How do these provisions compare to the highest international standards – and what can we learn from experiences in the Global South?
We will discuss these questions with:
• Roberto Stefani,1Roberto Stefani is an independent consultant specializing in corporate accountability and the integration of environmental and human rights standards. With over two decades of experience in natural resource justice, human rights due diligence, and policy advocacy across the EU and the Global South, he currently supports global organizations including Oxfam, Global Witness, and PowerShift. He holds an LLM in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex and a Graduate Degree in Political Science from the University of Padua. More information is available at: https://it.linkedin.com/in/stefaniroberto independent consultant specializing in human rights and natural resource justice, will present a new PowerShift study on participation rights in relation to strategic projects under the CRMA.
• Sara Matthieu, Member of the European Parliament (Greens/EFA), will provide insights into the legislative process on the CRMA and outstanding political questions.
• Aida Fernandes, representative of the affected community of Covas do Barroso (Portugal) and member of the grassroots organization Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso, will report on local experiences with a planned mining project.
• A representative of DG GROW (tba).
Moderated by Vanessa Fischer (PowerShift).
The webinar will take place online and in English. After the inputs, there will be time for questions and discussion with the participants.
Registration: Please register by 8 December using the following link.
More about our work on raw materials policy
