Activities of Hildegard BENTELE related to 2021/2011(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
A European strategy for critical raw materials (debate)
Reports (1)
REPORT on a European strategy for critical raw materials
Amendments (45)
Amendment 17 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas critical raw materials (CRMs) are the originators of industrial value creation and therefore essentially affect downstream sectors; whereas it is of high importance that the EU takes back control ofsafeguards its flows, value, and supply chains, and supports, fosters and digitalises ecosystems since this is the new core capacity in international (industrial) competition;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls its demand in its resolution of 10 February 2021 on the New Circular Economy Action Plan1 for binding EU reduction targets for primary raw materials use based on a comprehensive impact assessment; requests that the Commission include all possible options to minimise resource consumption in its demand scenarios for critical raw materials (CRM); __________________ 1 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0040 while acknowledging that according to European Commission 3a and OECD2a, the transition towards digital, highly energy-efficient and climate-neutral economies will lead to a higher demand of critical raw materials and primary materials; __________________ 1 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0040. 2aOECD (2019), Global Materials Resources Outlook to 2060: Economic drivers and environmental consequences, OECD Publishing, Paris. 3aEuropean Commission (2020), Critical materials for strategic technologies and sectors in the EU - a foresight study.
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the growing population and the transition towards digital, highly energy-efficient and climate-neutral economies lead in all scenarios to a significant higher demand for CRMs6 ; _________________ 6World Bank, Commission Foresight Study, OECD.
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas technologies requiring CRMs will be decisive for the EU's and the world's possibilities to achieve their goals under the Paris Agreement;
Amendment 33 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the Commission communication1a identifies 137 products and raw materials (representing 6% of the EU's total import value of goods) in sensitive ecosystems for which the EU is highly dependent - mainly in the energy intensive industries and health ecosystems as well as concerning other products relevant to support the green and digital transition; whereas 52% of these products are imported from the People's Republic of China; _________________ 1aCommission communication of 5 May 2021 entitled ‘Updating the 2020 New Industrial Strategy: Building a stronger single market for Europe’s recovery’ (COM(2021)0350).
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)
Recital C b (new)
Cb. Whereas COVID-19 affected negatively global supply chains and led to CRM shortages in Europe;
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas it is evident that new- also with regard to envisaged new due diligence obligations - new sustainable sourcing is required and that the potential of sourcing at high sustainable standards byin the EU and its neighbourhood should be fully and quickly exploited;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the EU's demand for CRMs will continue to rely on international supply chains, measures to make global trade markets more transparent, effective and predictable will also play an important role;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D b (new)
Recital D b (new)
Db. whereas the EU needs to improve its strategic autonomy in key areas such as CRM supply, which is also crucial for the EU's capacity in defence and space matters;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that waste collection and product design are ‘low hanging fruit’useful strategies to increase CRM supply; notes that CRM substitution, while having its limits in product efficiency, is an inherent goal of industry because of high prices and dependency; stresses the need for continuous efforts and support on research and innovation regarding the substitution of CRMs.
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Stresses that CRM sourcing is tied to geographic location, highly dependent on the availability of low-carbon and renewable energy supply, and at risk of indirect and direct carbon leakage and exposure to unfair competition; notes, therefore, the need for an active industry policy to support the sector including specific financial instruments;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Asks the Commission to set ambitious product design requirements for easy removal of CRMs; calls for ambitious minimum recycled CRM content or recycling targets; requests that the Commission propose new collection schemes to increase collection rates of waste products containing CRMselectronic waste and other products containing CRMs and mandatory treatment standards for recyclers on process efficiency and environmental protection; asks the Commission to propose dedicated recycling targets for CRMs, where beneficial, by extending the approach suggested in the proposal for a regulation on batteries and waste batteries (COM(2020)0798) to other product groups;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Warns that Europe’s transition to climate neutrality should not replace reliance on fossil fuels with reliance on raw materials; stresses the role that innovation and new technologies have on reducing the dependence on CRMs;
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls the Commission, when reviewing the Waste Shipment Regulation, to strengthen enforcement in order to prevent illegal exports of waste products containing CRMs. Calls for requirements that only allow for the export of waste products containing extractable and reusable CRMs if guaranteed that they will be treated under conditions equivalent to the EU.
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Calls on the Commission to pay attention not only to CRMs but also to the potential criticality of other raw materials needed for strong supply chains, the maintenance of production and the twin transition;
Amendment 96 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on the Commission and the European Raw Materials Alliance to prioritise CRM extraction from existing mines and waste dumps over new mining, if sustainable; requests that the Commission assess whether current due diligence and environment rules are sufficient to guarantee minimal environmental impact of potential new mining projects in the EU;
Amendment 96 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Asks the Commission to take a holistic approach when assessing the implications of several low-carbon technologies competing for the same CRMs and to investigate/examine critical supply chains also with regard to the needs of the pharmaceutical sector;
Amendment 100 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Is concerned that recovery plans do not sufficientlyAsks the Commission to make sure that national resilience and recovery plans under "Next Generation EU" tackle the challenges linked to CRM supply;
Amendment 110 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to create as soon as possible an Important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) on CRMs;
Amendment 113 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Calls on the Commission to promote research and development, skills and competences for small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) on CRMs as a growth strategy for European high-tech technologies such as li-ion batteries, fuel cells, wind energy, electric traction motors, photovoltaic technology, robotics, drones, 3D printing and a broad range of digital technologies;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8b. Notes that for the EU reliable and fully operational value chains, including prospecting recycling, play a key role and are prerequisite to achieve its goals of the Green Deal, the industrial strategy, the twin transition and to secure its future industrial competitiveness and innovation capacity;
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Welcomes the creation of the European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA) and its current focus on the most critical CRMs, namely rare earth elements and magnets, since the market conditions are completely distorted and monopolised by China, and on quantitative domestic and non-Chinese sourcing targets to support long-term supply relationships for a huge range of small and large manufacturers in the EU; underlines its role as the world’s largest ‘certification process’ for environmentally assessed and feasi"investment pipeline" and encourages ERMA to further engage on pre-assessments to unlock public and private investments for sustainable CRM projects;
Amendment 126 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Considers it important to further develop ERMA, mainly with regard to those materials which are of great importance for the twin transition like CRMs needed for energy storage and conversion;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. StressesCalls on the Commission to expand the European Raw Materials Alliance (ERMA) in order to increase cooperation between industrial actors; stresses in this regard the need for closer partnerships between CRM actors and downstream users, notably other industrial alliances, and the common awareness and commitment to sustainable value chains;
Amendment 133 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Believes that mining permits should include requirements for the proper recovery of allmanagement of mining waste of CRMs; requests that the Commission urgently implement Parliament’s demands in its resolution of 27 April 2017 on implementation of the Mining Waste Directive2 ; __________________ 2 OJ C 298, 23.8.2018, p. 132.
Amendment 146 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Encourages a comprehensive assessment of the mining sector’s inclusion in the scope of the Industrial Emissions DirectiveEU and national legislation applicable to the mining sector as regards environmental requirements;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Underlines the need to build secondary CRM markets in order to guarantee constant secondary CRM flows; calls in this regard on the Commission to examine the balance of imports and exports of secondary CRMs to the EU and stresses that CRM treatment in non-EU countries needs to comply with EU standards; notes that there is no one-size- fits-all approach;
Amendment 154 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Believes that mining should be forbiddenUnderlines the importance to consistently apply existing EU and national legislation to mining in nature conservation areas; calls on the Commission to evaluate legislative options to ensure that local communities are fully involved in the permit procedures for new industrial and new mining projects.
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Welcomes the proposal to map the potential supply of secondary CRMs from EU stocks and waste and ERMA's intention to set up a cluster on the potential of recycling and secondary CRMs in the EU; encourages the Commission to make this mapping exercise a priority and carry it out earlier than envisaged;
Amendment 162 #
14a. Calls the Commission and the Member States to promote the potential of secondary processing projects through specific incentives including expedited licensing and to provide incentives for recovering CRMs to ensure reliable, secure and sustainable access to them;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Notes that industrial CRM recycling processes still need massive private and public investment in the collection and recovery infrastructure, in innovation and scaling of technologies, and in skills, while providing job opportunities; underlines the need for specific financial instruments and targeted Research and Development funds;
Amendment 175 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Underlines the need for sustainable financing criteria for the mining extractive and processing sectors; highlights the importance of CRMs to deliver the Green Deal and manage and support the twin green and digital transition; underlines the need to steer necessary investments to activities that directly contribute to expedite improvement of environmental and climate performance;
Amendment 178 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4
Subheading 4
Sustainable sourcing from the EU
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Notes that while smart product design, the reuse of materials, recycled sources and substitution can significantly reduce primary demand and its potential should be fully exploited, responsible and sustainable CRM sourcing with prior impact assessment is needed when CRM supply cannot be met economically viable by the measures mentioned or would lead to lower quality products;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Highlights that sourcing in the EU is subject to the highest environmental and social standards worldwide, provides thousands of highly qualified jobs and is an indispensable prerequisite of the green and digital transition; calls therefore on all actors to help build both public acceptance for responsible CRM sourcing projects in the EU and the awareness of the environmental footprints of the imports of CRMs from outside of the EU;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Underlines the importance of maintaining and further developing expertise and skills in mining and processing technologies in the EU of both CRMs and by-products of their processing, as some of them can be used for production of highly advanced chemical products;
Amendment 215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. CNotes the important role of Member States in increasing the sustainable domestic supply of CRMs from primary and secondary sources; calls on the Member States to improve the timeliness, predictability and transparency of the authorisation processes for prospecting sourcing projects;
Amendment 217 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22 a (new)
Paragraph 22 a (new)
22a. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to make sure that sustainable CRM sourcing is not made impossible in general by other provisions and that compromises are being found which reflect both the EU's increased need for sustainable sourced CRMs and the need for nature and biodiversity protection;
Amendment 219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Highlights that improved permitting predictability and efficiency, as well as prioritising key enablers such as competitive renewable and low-carbon energy supply, will help to unlock necessary investments;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5
Subheading 5
Diversification and international cooperation
Amendment 229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Urges the Commission to foster relations with all existing CRM supplier countries of the EU and to systematically and strategically build new CRM partnerships, promote the participation of SMEs and make this endeavour a horizontal task of its external and internal policies and to present the results in 2021; welcomes, in this regard, the recently established EU-Canada Strategic Partnership on Raw Materials;
Amendment 238 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Welcomes the EU’s commitment to responsible and sustainable sourcing; stresses the need to underpin this commitment with concrete technical support, institution buildingknowledge transfer, building of skills, institutions and legal frameworks and political dialogue with partner countries; stresses the need to mobilise more state and private actors to also subscribe to and implement sustainability standards;
Amendment 244 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Reiterates its call in its resolution of 25 March 2021 on a new EU-Africa Strategy – a partnership for sustainable and inclusive development8 for fair and sustainable exploitation of CRMs in Africa, which; notes that raw materials account for 49 % of EU imports from Africa, and; further notes that South Africa provides 71% of the EU's supply of platinum and an even higher share of iridium, rhodium and ruthenium, Guinea provides 64% of the EU's supply for bauxite and the Democratic Republic of Congo provides 68% of the EU's need for cobalt; supports the Commission in its endeavours to conclude new CRM partnerships with African countries; _________________ 8 Texts adopted, P9_TA(2021)0108.
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27a. Calls on the Commission to strengthen standardisation activities with regard to CRM-related high quality components in relevant international fora, since this is important for EU companies, in particular SMEs;