Activities of Dominique BILDE related to 2023/0079(COD)
Plenary speeches (1)
Framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials (debate)
Amendments (18)
Amendment 29 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 10
Recital 10
(10) In order to diversify the Union's supply of strategic raw materials, the Commission should, with the support of the Board, identify Strategic Projects in third countries that intend to become active in the extraction, processing or recycling of strategic raw materials. To ensure that such Strategic Projects are effectively implemented, they should benefit from improved access to finance. In order to ensure their added value, projects should be assessed against a set of criteria. Like projects in the Union, Strategic Projects in third countries should strengthen the Union's security of supply for strategic raw materials, show sufficient technical feasibility and be implemented sustainably. For projects in emerging markets and developing economies, the project should be mutually beneficial for the Union and the third country involved and add value in that country, taking into account also its consistency with the Union’s common commercial policy. The European Union may also help to strengthen capacities in the developing country, such as good practices with regard to transparency or the adoption of appropriate national legislation. Such value may be derived from the project’s contribution to more than one stage of the value chain as well as from creating through the project wider economic and social benefits, including the creation of employment in compliance with international standards. Where the Commission assesses these criteria to be fulfilled, it should publish the recognition as a Strategic Project in a decision.
Amendment 38 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 11
Recital 11
(11) In order to ensure the sustainability of increased raw material production, new raw materials projects should be implemented sustainably. To that end, the Strategic Projects receiving support under this Regulation should be assessed taking into account international instruments covering all aspects of sustainability highlighted in the EU principles for sustainable raw materials31 , including ensuring environmental protection, socially responsible practices, including respect for human rights such as the rights of women, and children, notably with regard to child labour and, in particular, the worst forms of child labour, as well as transparent business practices. Projects should also ensure engagement in good faith as well as comprehensive and meaningful consultations with local communities, including with indigenous peoples. To provide project promoters with a clear and efficient way of complying with this criterion, compliance with relevant Union legislation, international standards, guidelines and principles or participation in a certification scheme recognised under this Regulation should be considered sufficient. _________________ 31 European Commission, Directorate- General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, EU principles for sustainable raw materials, Publications Office, 2021, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2873/27875
Amendment 42 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) Any promoter of a strategic raw materials project should be able to apply to the Commission for the recognition of their project as a Strategic Project. The application should include several documents and evidence related to the criteria. To better assess the social, environmental and economic viability, the feasibility of the project as well as the level of confidence in the estimates, the project promoter should also provide a classification of the project according to the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources, and to allow for objective validation, they should support this classification with relevant evidence. A timetable for the project should also be attached to an application, in order to estimate when the project would be able to contribute towards the benchmarks for domestic capacity or for diversification. As public acceptance of mining projects by the public and local communities is crucial for their effective implementation, the promoter should also provide a plan containing measures to facilitate publicsuch acceptance and promote engagement with the communities and populations concerned. Special attention should be paid to social partners, civil society and other oversight actors. The promoter should also provide a business plan providing information regarding the project’s financial viability and giving an overview of funding and off- take agreements already secured as well as estimates for potential job creation and for the project’s needs in terms of skilled workforce, including upskilling and reskilling.
Amendment 48 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25 a (new)
Recital 25 a (new)
(25a) In third countries, the European Union may provide technical support for the updating and adaptation of applicable national laws, notably land and mining legislation, and help to raise awareness among economic actors interested in establishing themselves in developing or least developed countries with inadequate mining or land laws.
Amendment 52 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 28
Recital 28
(28) In order to overcome the limitations of the currently often fragmented public and private investments efforts, facilitate integration and return on investment, the Commission, Member States and promotional banks should better coordinate and create synergies between the existing funding programmes at Union and national level as well as ensure better coordination and collaboration with industry and key private sector stakeholders, in particular by opening up the existing instruments to private actors interested in investing in the CRM sector in certain developing countries, especially least developed countries. To that end, a dedicated sub- group of the Board bringing together experts from the Member States and the Commission as well as relevant public financial institutions should be set up. This sub-group should discuss the individual financing needs of Strategic Projects and their existing funding possibilities in order to provide project promoters with a suggestion on how to best access existing financing possibilities. When discussing and making recommendations for the financing of Strategic Projects in third countries, the Board should in particular take into account the Global Gateway strategy, which may, where appropriate, support projects in the CRM sector42. _________________ 42 Joint Communication to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European Investment Bank The Global Gateway (JOIN/2021/30 final).
Amendment 68 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 54
Recital 54
(54) The Union has concluded Strategic Partnerships covering raw materials with third countries, especially developing countries and least developed countries, in order to implement the 2020 Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials. In order to diversify supplyand secure supply, where the supply cannot be fully met by resources from within the European Union, these efforts should continue. To develop and ensure a coherent framework for the conclusion of future partnerships, the Member States and the Commission should, as part of their interaction on the Board, discuss and ensure coordination on, inter alia, whether existing partnerships achieve the intended aims, the prioritisation of third countries for new partnerships, the content of such partnerships and their coherence and potential synergies between Member States' bilateral cooperation with relevant third countries. The Union should seek mutually beneficial partnerships with emerging market and developing economies, especially the least developed economies, in coherence with its Global Gateway strategy, which contribute to the diversification of its raw materials supply chain as well as add value in the production in these countries.
Amendment 71 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 54 a (new)
Recital 54 a (new)
(54a) As part of this CRM strategy, the Commission and Member States may provide these developing countries with technical support to strengthen and update their legislation, such as their land or mining laws.
Amendment 72 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 54 b (new)
Recital 54 b (new)
(54b) The EU's CRM strategy should take into account and involve, where necessary, the relevant industries and, in particular, representatives of EU companies operating in the sectors concerned.
Amendment 73 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 55
Recital 55
(55) In order to support the implementation of tasks pertaining to the development of Strategic Projects and their financing, exploration programmes, monitoring capacities or strategic stocks and to advise the Commission appropriately, a European Critical Raw Materials Board should be established. The Board should be composed of Member States and of the Commission, while being able to ensure participation of other parties as observers, in particular, where necessary, representatives of the private sector in the industries concerned. To develop the necessary expertise for the implementation of certain tasks, the Board should establish standing sub-groups on financing, exploration, monitoring and strategic stocks, that should act as a network by gathering the different relevant national authorities and, when necessary, consult industry, academia, civil society and other relevant stakeholders. The Board’s advice and opinions should be non-binding and the absence of such an advice or opinion should not prevent the Commission from performing its tasks under this Regulation.
Amendment 79 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article premier – paragraph 2 – point b a (new)
Article premier – paragraph 2 – point b a (new)
(ba) In the report referred to in Article 42, the Commission shall take into account the risks of overproduction in certain third countries and the impact of any overproduction on the development of production within the European Union.
Amendment 81 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article premier – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article premier – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. The Commission shall regularly review these objectives on the basis of the report referred to in Article 42, in particular with a view to boosting production of critical raw materials within the European Union.
Amendment 92 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point c a (new)
(ca) for projects implemented in third countries, special attention shall be paid to respect for human rights, notably children's rights and the worst forms of child labour, and to engagement with local communities;
Amendment 98 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point e
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point e
(e) for projects in third countries that are emerging markets or developing economies, the project would be mutually beneficial for the Union and the third country concerned by adding value in that country and respecting the rules that apply to the sector concerned.
Amendment 100 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) Special attention must be paid to respect for human rights, notably children's rights and the worst forms of child labour, in particular.
Amendment 146 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 33 – paragraph 1 – point c – point ii
Article 33 – paragraph 1 – point c – point ii
(ii) whether a third country's regulatory framework, in particular its land and mining legislation, ensures the monitoring, prevention and minimisation of environmental impacts, the use of socially responsible practices including respect of human and labour rights, including children's rights and the worst forms of child labour in particular, and meaningful engagement with local communities, the use of transparent business practices and the prevention of adverse impacts on the proper functioning of public administration and the rule of law;
Amendment 157 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 33 – paragraph 1 – point c – point iv
Article 33 – paragraph 1 – point c – point iv
(iv) for emerging markets and developing economies, whether and how a partnership could contribute to local value addition, training and a better standard of living, and would be mutually beneficial for the partner country and the Union.
Amendment 167 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 33 – paragraph 3 – point a
Article 33 – paragraph 3 – point a
(a) where possible and relevant, coordinate with the Commission to ensure coherence between their bilateral cooperation with relevant third countries and the Union's non-binding Strategic Partnerships with third countries, whose scope at least includes critical raw materials value chain;
Amendment 168 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 33 – paragraph 3 – point b
Article 33 – paragraph 3 – point b
(b) support the Commission in the implementation of the cooperation measures set out in Strategic Partnerships, where this is possible and consistent with national development policies.