CIRAN to host an experts’ session in the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels

On the 12th of November 2025, CIRAN will host a Panel Discussion in the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels. Organised in close coooperation with Dumitru Fornea, EESC Member and CIRAN External Expert, the event will welcome renewed guests and present social and economic breakthroughs from CIRAN relevant to the EU’s strategic autonomy.

The session will held in-person, between 14:00h and 17:00h CET and facilitated by CIRAN partner and WP6 Leader Malika Moussaid-Hilton. Participants are invited from the following sectors: policymakers and experts in industrial competitiveness, energy transition, local and regional development, environmental conservation and mineral value chains.

EVENT’S PROGRAMME

CONTEXTUAL FRAMEWORK

The Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) works towards the EU’s energy transition and climate-neutrality goals but also addresses rising regional and economic security concerns. It establishes ambitious targets of 10% domestic extraction of CRM and 40% domestic processing by 2030, expedites permitting for strategic projects and enhances supply disruption monitoring, whilst upholding rigorous social and environmental standards. The recently announced REsourceEU Plan further reinforces this agenda through strategic stockpiles, coordinated procurement, expanded circular economy measures, accelerated resource partnerships, and increased investments in domestic processing capacity —responding to heightened supply vulnerabilities highlighted by China’s export restrictions on rare earths and battery materials.

Rebuilding European minerals capacity, however, faces a fundamental challenge: finding the right balance between European public interest priorities of access to minerals and societal concerns about environmental impacts and community interests. This tension is exacerbated by rising Euroscepticism, institutional distrust, concerns about equitable distribution of benefits and burdens, and a questioning of current socio-economic development trajectories. Traditional approaches relying predominantly on technical assessments, expert consensus, and promises of economic development have proven markedly insufficient in addressing these legitimate societal concerns.

Recent experience reveals a deeper problem: a general reluctance to engage in policy dialogue which poses a significant risk to European cohesion and resilience, as resource-rich regions may feel an environmental and social burden of serving broader EU strategic objectives. Without meaningful engagement towards reliable economic opportunities, benefit-sharing mechanisms and integration with regional development frameworks, implementation of the CRMA and REsourceEU plan could inadvertently deepen territorial disparities and undermine the solidarity that underpins the European project. Compounding these challenges is the striking spatial reality revealed by CIRAN’s research: more than 85% of known EU CRM deposits are located either below or within 4 km proximity to environmentally protected areas —creating an apparent conflict between resource security and nature conservation objectives that conventional extractive models cannot adequately resolve.

A promising approach to address these challenges lies in the development and implementation of Community Development Agreements (CDAs) —an innovative tool that can help bridge the gap between EU or national strategic priorities and regional or community needs whilst strengthening European cohesion and resilience. CIRAN has recently published a Policy Brief on CDAs. These are binding agreements between local government, mining companies, and communities, requiring no change to national legal frameworks. These agreements include dispute resolution mechanisms, non-compliance clauses, and bring decision-making to the local level, thereby helping to address the fundamental problem of lack of trust in government whilst accommodating local expectations, including environmental protection and socio-economic development. By creating conditions where participation feels safe, productive, and aligned with diverse stakeholders’ interests, CDAs offer a pathway to rebuild the trust necessary for inclusive engagement in this contentious policy area.

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