Water under Pressure in the Context of the EU Raw Materials Strategy: How Robust Are Europe’s Environmental Standards?
The webinar will be held in English on March 25 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. as a Lunch & Learn session.
The increasing extraction of critical raw materials in Europe is putting social and environmental standards under growing pressure, including the protection of water resources. The classification of “Strategic Projects” under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) is accelerating approval procedures and shifting political priorities. The EU’s raw materials strategy is further complemented by additional instruments such as the ReSource EU Action Plan.
The new study by PowerShift and the German Nature and Biodiversity Conservation Union NABU examines how robust European protection mechanisms actually are in terms of protecting surface waters and drinking water. At its core lies the question of whether the EU lives up to its claim of setting the highest environmental and social standards worldwide. The analysis shows that existing gaps in protection could deepen under political and procedural pressure. If transparency, participation, and effective enforcement are weakened, the risks of environmental damage, conflict, and long-term harm to ecosystems and livelihoods increase.
In this webinar, we will present the key findings of the study and discuss why strong water protection is essential for a just and sustainable raw materials policy. We will compare EU standards with those of other countries and with IRMA, and shed light on current developments surrounding the Water Framework Directive. MEP Jutta Paulus (Member of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment for the Greens) and Adriana Espinosa (Head of Natural Resources and Waste at Friends of the Earth Spain) will also share their perspectives, reflecting on developments at EU level and in Spain.
The event is aimed at policymakers, civil society, academia, and all those interested in a socially just and environmentally sustainable raw materials policy in Europe.
Participants:
- MEP Jutta Paulus (Greens, Member of the European Parliament’s Committee on the Environment)
- Adriana Espinosa (Head of the Natural Resources and Waste Department at Friends of the Earth Spain)
- Luca Perez (DG ENV of the European Commission, Deputy Head of the Sustainable Freshwater Management Unit)
- Maja Wilke (Raw Materials Policy Officer at PowerShift)
- Additional representative from relevant ministry: tbc
Moderator: Anna Schönwald (Policy Officer Resource Politics at NABU)
Learn more about our work here.
