BRUSSELS — The European Union will loosen water, chemicals and permitting laws to encourage more new mines in the bloc as it attempts to end its dependence on China for key raw materials.
The proposal is part of the European Commission’s RESourceEU plan, unveiled Wednesday, which aims to boost the extraction of minerals essential in key technologies like clean energy and defense. Currently the EU depends almost exclusively on imports of such minerals.
The EU should be taking more advantage of its natural resources, Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall said Wednesday but added “there are long [waits] and some uncertainty on getting new permits due to different environmental legislations.”
The Commission will come up with “clear guidance” on the water laws early next year, Roswall said, adding: “We need to review and also revise the framework.” This will happen in the first half of 2026.
