Brussels Weighs Water Law Revision to Secure Domestic Critical Mineral Supply

The EU is preparing to rewrite its flagship water protection law to fast-track critical minerals mining, despite new analysis showing that many of these projects sit in drying and water-stressed regions. Researchers at Watershed Investigations found that mining (a water-intensive industry) is being accelerated in areas already suffering drought, with more than half of the 33 planned "strategic" mines under the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act located in regions that have been drying for two decades, and six highly water-stressed projects concentrated in Spain, alongside others in Portugal and Greece. The proposed revision of the Water Framework Directive, aimed at removing permitting bottlenecks, has alarmed environmental groups and water experts, who condemned it as reckless and warned it could undermine Europe's water resilience while leaving communities and farmers to bear the cost. The authors and campaigners are calling for stronger safeguards to protect rivers, aquifers, and ecosystems as global demand for minerals like lithium, cobalt, and graphite continues to surge.

Source: adapted from The Guardian's article, Jun 2026.