Trade unions and member organisations have long been calling for a stronger EU strategy on raw materials to move towards greater independence through the sustainable exploitation of its own resources, as well as security of supply through a fair external agenda.

The sustainability of raw materials will be essential for Europe to strengthen its strategic autonomy. This requires a strong and global strategy resting on four pillars: sustainable domestic extraction, circular economy, improving research and innovation to reduce demand and dependency, and ensuring international standards and binding human rights worldwide.

In March 2023, the European Commission published the Critical Raw Materials Act as part of the Green Deal Industrial Plan. It consists of a set of internal and external actions to ensure a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials for EU industry such as:

  • Setting priorities with a concrete benchmark for 2030 that include more domestic extraction, more processing, more recycling and less dependencies on one country
  • Building up European capacity by supporting strategic projects for extraction, processing and recycling in Europe (with streamlined permitting procedures and better access to finance) and outside Europe
  • Promoting more circular raw materials
IndustriAll Europe is pleased that the European Parliament’s proposed amendments take some of our concerns on board that include:


  • A strengthened social dimension of raw materials to be extracted, refined, processed or recycled such through clear references to ILO labour standards
  • A circular economy with a more ambitious recycling target: increased to 15% of EU’s consumption of recycling by 2030 (compared to the 10% from the initial proposal)
  • Measures to foster training and reemployment of workers, that will have to be integrated in the planning of project (from exploration to sites’ closure)
The proposed amendments also include measures that will facilitate knowledge and skill transfers for workers, as well as requirements to use the best ecological standards to extract and process raw materials in partner countries. 
The race for raw materials should not lead to neo-colonialist behaviour in the Global South. We are therefore pleased that the European Parliament has taken into consideration the needs and interests of workers and people in the countries from which raw materials are to be exported to Europe. 

Deputy General Secretary of industriAll Europe, Judith Kirton-Darling, says:

“These improvements are in line with several of our demands. IndustriAll Europe hopes now that the negotiations that are about to begin with the Council and the Commission will lead to an ambitious act that will help to tackle the challenges.

“And of course, this will then have to be followed by concrete initiatives and strong enforcement, not just a good narrative”.