The EU Regulation on responsible mineral supply and its accompanying measures

On the 29th and 30th of April 2019, five European civil society organisations, Germanwatch, Ökumenisches Netz Zentralafrika (ÖNZ), Commission Justice et Paix Belgique, Cordaid and the European Network for Central Africa (EurAc) organised a workshop in Brussels under the title “The EU regulation on responsible mineral sourcing and its accompanying measures: views from civil society from producing countries”.

The aim of this workshop was to bring together civil society actors from mining countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Colombia, as well as from the European Union (EU), to discuss the state of implementation of the Regulation. Participants discussed the risks, opportunities and challenges offered by the regulation and its accompanying measures for communities and miners in their respective countries. The workshop represented an opportunity for delegates from Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from the two countries to share their experiences, perspectives and concerns.

The key result of the workshop was the elaboration of recommendations to EU policy makers drafted jointly with civil society organisations from mineral producing countries and their European counterparts. Given the important role that local actors in producing countries play to ensure transparent production chains, it is of great importance that their points of view on the implementation of the EU Regulation and, particularly on its accompanying measures, are heard.

The event was able to deliver on this objective through a critical discussion which included inputs both from representatives of producing and importing countries. This document provides an overview of the key-arguments, concerns and solutions discussed and elaborated during the two-day workshop.