"SOMO position paper on draft Critical Raw Materials Regulation", 17 May 2023

On March 16, 2023, the European Commission presented a Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials (the CRMR). SOMO developed a position paper with ten key concerns and recommendations related to the draft regulation.

In SOMO’s view, the proposed EU strategy to secure access to critical raw materials and strategic raw materials will not lead to a sustainable supply of minerals for Europe because it will exacerbate human rights and environmental risks and undermine development in partner countries. Critically, the CRMR fails to address Europe’s unsustainable consumption, and it reinforces an economic framework where resource-rich third countries are pushed to remain as suppliers of raw materials that feed the consumer demands and unsustainable lifestyles of global powers.