B-R7: Nature Restoration Law vs. EU plan for critical raw materials - challenges to protect nature and food sovereignty

The European Greens have been spearheading policies to respond to climate challenges while putting people and the planet at the top of its priorities. In the European Parliament, at both national and local levels, EGP members have been proposing measures to mitigate such impacts and to politically address changes in production, distribution and consumption models to achieve more balanced ways of using essential resources, ensuring less impact on nature and human health.

The European Greens have been spearheading policies to respond to climate challenges while putting people and the planet at the top of its priorities. In the European Parliament, at both national and local levels, EGP members have been proposing measures to mitigate such impacts and to politically address changes in production, distribution and consumption models to achieve more balanced ways of using essential resources, ensuring less impact on nature and human health.

The EGP congress takes note of the following draft motion for resolution. Raw materials are of critical importance for the green transformation of our consumption and production model. Regularly raw materials including critical ones are produced under outrageous conditions for people and planet in the global south. Others are extracted in states where local communities have no effective access to democratic control or legal scuritiy. However, even best efforts for circularity and resource frugality cannot avoid the need for additional critical raw materials in the process of the green transition. This is why the EGP will establish a task force to develop a common position how the need for resources can be catered for in the most sustainable way in the global south as well as in Europe. This task force should encompass a fact finding mission to Jadar and Barroso in order to ensure that the voice of local communities and experts is fully taken into account.

For this reason, Greens all over Europe recognise the need to bring back nature and restore those precious ecosystems which are under threat today, not only in the EU but everywhere, including in the Global South. At the same time, they are demanding
political action to reduce pollution, to ensure breathable air, clean water, and toxic-free consumer goods while significantly reducing the risk of contamination from pollutants and chemical contaminants and tackling climate challenges.

For this reason, Greens all over Europe recognise the need to bring back nature and restore those precious ecosystems which are under threat today. At the same time, they are demanding
political action to reduce pollution, to ensure breathable air, clean water, and toxic-free consumer goods while significantly reducing the risk of contamination from pollutants and chemical contaminants and tackling climate challenges.

For this reason, Greens all over Europe recognise the need to bring back nature and restore those precious ecosystems which are under threat today. At the same time, they are demanding
political action to reduce pollution, to ensure breathable air, clean water, and toxic-free consumer goods while significantly reducing the risk of contamination from pollutants and chemical contaminants and tackling climate challenges.

The EU’s demand for critical raw materials, combined with the demand to develop resource independency, increases pressure on nature, undermining the intentions of the Nature Restoration Law. Examples hereof are Lithium mining projects in Portugal and Serbia.

On 17 June 2024, nature protection was the subject of a very important resolutionlegislation approved by the EU national environment ministers. The Nature Restoration Law (NRL) will contribute to the definition of binding goals for national implementation in order to restore degraded ecosystems, stop the extinction of species and promote healthy ecosystems. The NRL provides important guidelines for restoring the health of fresh-water bodies while also improving biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems with the aim of improving organic carbon stock in cropland soils and promoting high-diversity landscapes.

On 17 June 2024, nature protection was the subject of a very important resolution approved by the EU national environment ministers. The Nature Restoration Law (NRL) will contribute to the definition of binding goals for national implementation in order to restore degraded ecosystems, stop the extinction of species and promote healthy ecosystems. The NRL provides important guidelines for restoring the health of fresh-water bodies while also improving biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems with the aim of improvingthat, between other things, will improve organic carbon stock in cropland soils and promoting high-diversity landscapes.

The EU’s demand for critical materials – mainly to reduce its dependence on China and to supply the electric vehicle industry – is forcing those European countries with identified lithium deposits to respond to EU pressure to ensure that at least 10% of such critical minerals are extracted in Europe by 2030.

The EU’s demand for critical raw materials – which are necessary for decarbonisation, including electric vehicle production – is growing. New EU legislation aims for 10% of the EU’s critical raw material consumption to be extracted in the EU to rebalance EU dependencies on third countries. The EU therefore is encouraging countries with identified lithium deposits to increase production.

The EU’s demand for critical materials – mainly to reduce its dependence on China and, to supply the electric vehicle industry, but also to sustain its overconsumption of digital technologies – is forcing those European countries with identified lithium deposits to respond to EU pressure to ensure that at least 10% of such critical minerals are extracted in Europe by 2030.

Europe's green transition and digital transformation – associated with an unsustainable model of overconsumption and overexploitation of raw materials – are far removed from plans for the transition to place prevention and precaution at the forefront of productive and technological solutions.

While a green transition is needed and requires some extraction of raw materials, in these cases, the impact on both the local environment and people have not been shown sufficient consideration.

Europe's green transition and digital transformation – associatedunless it can break with an unsustainable model of overconsumption and overexploitation of raw materials – arewill be far removed from plans for thea transition to placethat places prevention and precaution at the forefront of productive and technological solutions.

Europe's green transition and digital transformation – associated with an unsustainable model of overconsumption and overexploitation of raw materials – are far removed from plans for the transition to place prevention and precaution at the forefront of productive and technological solutions.

While a green transition is needed and requires some extraction of raw materials, the European regulation introduced a safeguard with the "public acceptance" dossier, requiring mining project promoters to engage in a transparent way with affected communities and social partners. But in the Portugese and Serbian cases, the impact on both the local environment and people have not been showed sufficient consideration.

Some projects connected to Europe's green transition and digital transformation –are associated with an unsustainable model of overconsumption and overexploitation of raw materials – are far removed from plans for the. Sustainable transition has to place prevention and precaution at the forefront of productive and technological solutions.

Europe's green transition and digital transformation – associated with an unsustainable model of overconsumption and overexploitation of raw materials – are far removed from plans for the transition to place prevention and precaution at the forefront of productive and technological solutions, and lead to neocolonial practices by European governments.

The governments of Portugal and Serbia have seen this as an opportunity for investment, in most cases creating a fast track for licensing and ignoring the precautionary principle concerning the environmental impact of lithium mining, while jeopardising national needs and goals regarding nature protection. In both cases, governments have not gone any further with the projects thanks to strong popular demonstrations and the persistence of civic movements and parties, including Partido Ecologista “Os Verdes” in Portugalthe green movement, which have put these concerns on the political agenda.

The governments of Portugal and Serbia have seen this as an opportunity for investment, in most cases creating a fast track for licensing and ignoring the precautionary principle concerning the environmental impact of lithium mining, while jeopardising national needs and goals regarding nature protection. In both cases, governments have not gone any further with the projects thanks to strong popular demonstrations and the persistence of civic movements and parties, including Partido Ecologista “Os Verdes” in Portugal, which have put these concerns on the political agenda.

Moreover, the Serbian Government has shown unacceptable repression including police brutality towards the citizens and civil society organizations who are challenging the Jadar Valley project. Arbitrary detentions, smear campaigns, unlawful oversight of activists, physical violence, and frequent threats are some of the elements of the repressions we are witnessing against the citizens in Serbia, particularly against environmental activists.

The governments of Portugal and Serbia have seen this as an opportunity for investment, in most cases creating a fast track for licensing and ignoring the precautionary principle concerning the environmental impact of lithium mining, while jeopardising national needs and goals regarding nature protection. In both casesthe case of Portugal, governments have not gone any further with the projects thanks to strong popular demonstrations and the persistence of civic movements and parties, including Partido Ecologista “Os Verdes” in Portugal, which have put these concerns on the political agenda.

In Portugal, these projects overlap with ecologically sensitive areas and are close to protected and classified areas, such as Natura 2000 areas or the FAO’s classified agricultural areas, thereby creating extreme impacts on the landscape, the identity of rural regions, on food production and the economic sustainability of communities. Lithium extraction - the aim of which is for useto be used in decarbonization solutions - is absolutely incompatible withcan not be done in regions which are suffering from severe drought, water scarcity and devastating forest fires, such as Portugal. Therefore, this option is not a long term solution to climate change in these territories. On the contrary, it is a problem and will soon become a huge burden for future generations, due to the
the environmental liabilities it will leave behind.

In Serbia, populations fear that the lithium mine will pollute water sources and endanger public health. After years of public protests, the Serbian government recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the EU which is seen as the first step in developingexploiting Serbia’s lithium resources.

Extraction and processing of lithium in the Jadar Valley, planned by the Rio Tinto company, cwould significantly harm the environment, creating a devastating impact on the surrounding areas of farmland, forest groundwater and soil, leading to a loss of biodiversity and the accumulation of large amounts of hazardous waste.

We oppose both the EU’s and governments’ hasty granting of licences for lithium extractive projects that reduce environmental criteria while exempting mining companies from a thorough assessment of the environmental and socio-economic impacts in extractive areas.We additionally condemn the EU for disregarding the desires of the citizens of sovereign nations outside of it's borders. This showcases a worrying willingness to work with oppressive governments for it's own goals. Especially in this period of transition, we cannot support governments which have disregarded the ecological aspects of development previously.

These regions cannot be sacrificed and made to give up their agricultural livelihoods and, potentially, regional ecosystems. Thus, efforts must be made to protect nature – particularly water resources, fertile soils and biodiversity – as well as the food sovereignty of Member States.

The other side of the coin

Nature must be protected, not only on EU territory, but everywhere. The EU overconsumption of digital technologies is feeding the need for critical raw materials such as lithium and cobalt. Up until now, rare earth has been essentially mined in the Global South, in mines where the respect for fundamental rights and environmental law is far from ensured. As Greens, we recognise that saying no to lithium mines on EU soil is not about giving a blank check for more inhuman mines in the Global South but rather questioning our own overconsumption practices and fighting for the protection of nature and people everywhere.

These regions cannot be sacrificed and made to give up their agricultural livelihoods and, potentially, regional ecosystems. Thus, efforts must be made to protect nature – particularly water resources, fertile soils and biodiversity – as well as the food sovereignty of Member States and candidate countries.

The European Greens parties gathered in Dublin demand further and strengthened actions on processes involving lithium exploration projects:

• immediately end arbitrary detentions, physical violence, and unlawful treatment of people in Serbia who are challenging lithium exploration project

The European Greens parties gathered in Dublin demand further and strengthened actions on processes involving lithium exploration projects, by ensuring the following steps are taken: