EU conflict minerals regulation under fire: NGOs demand stronger action to break the link between minerals and conflict

Six years after its adoption and nearly three years after coming into full force on January 1, 2021, the European Union's Conflict Minerals Regulation (focused on tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold-3TG-sourced from conflict-affected and high-risk areas, or CAHRAs) is failing to achieve its main objectives: cutting ties between mineral trade and conflict financing, and protecting human rights in supply chains. According to a joint statement released on October 19, 2023, by 20 European NGOs, the regulation has made no notable impact on supply chains or on conditions in producing countries. Illicit mineral trade, especially in gold, still significantly finances conflicts, undermining the regulation’s purpose.

Source: adapted from IPIS, October 2023