Today, the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) adopted the EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) with 50 votes in favour and 4 abstentions. The vote in plenary is foreseen during the upcoming plenary week in Strasbourg. Henrike Hahn, Member of the European Parliament (The Greens/EFA), industrial policy spokesperson, member of the Industry Committee and Green shadow rapporteur on the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) comments:

"The CRMA is a milestone for green industrial policy in Europe highlighting the compatibility of sustainability with competitiveness. The CRMA promotes circular economy and recycling, strengthens strategic autonomy for critical raw materials and reduces dependence on unreliable partners.

In order to align with the Paris climate protection goals and foster a competitive green industrial policy, it is imperative to ensure a secure supply of critical raw materials. The CRMA demonstrates tangible progress in addressing our key priorities, including a fundamental reduction in the demand for critical raw materials consumption, the reinforcement of circular economy and notable advancements in recycling benchmarks.

A noteworthy success is the commitment to increasing the recycling benchmark to 25%, underscoring the link to recycling materials from waste streams. The CRMA also takes a notable stance against deep-sea mining.

The protective measures provided for in the EP mandate to prevent certain strategic projects in EU protected areas were either repealed or watered down. This is disappointing - we Greens had clearly demanded that mining in EU protected areas must remain a taboo.

While the explicit mention of "FPIC" (Free, Prior, and Informed Consent) for indigenous peoples faced challenges due to a Council red line, the CRMA takes positive steps in considering and acknowledging their rights. Adequate involvement of civil society is essential for responsible mining practices in Europe."

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