Answer given by Mr Breton on behalf of the European Commission
8.7.2022
1. The Commission devoted around EUR 600 million for raw materials Research and Innovation projects in the predecessor Horizon 2020 Programme (2014-2021)[1]. Following the Critical Raw Materials (CRM) action plan[2], the Commission devoted around EUR 300 million in the first Work Programme of Horizon Europe (2021-2022)[3]. Other funding opportunities are: InvestEU EU budget guarantee to support investment projects, including CRM, in Europe. In addition, the new Guidelines on state aid for climate, environmental protection and energy 2022 (CEEAG[4]) allow Member States to support measures related to the sustainable recovery, recycling and re-use of raw materials. Furthermore, the Recovery and Resilience Facility[5] and the Innovation Fund[6] can also be used for this purpose. The European Investment Bank offers support for projects relating to the supply of critical raw materials needed for low-carbon technologies in the EU.
2. The EU Taxonomy is an evolving tool and should over time consider all activities that can substantially contribute to at least 1 of the 6 environmental objectives. The Platform on Sustainable Finance[7], an independent Commission expert group was tasked to develop criteria for mining, extractive and processing, sectors. This sector was not included in the Platform’s report published in March 2022, however the work of the Platform continues. After receiving and analysing the recommendations from the Platform, the Commission will consider including mining activities in one of the forthcoming delegated acts of the Taxonomy Regulation.
- [1] https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-2020_en
- [2] COM (2020) 474.
- [3] https://ec.europa.eu/info/research-and-innovation/funding/funding-opportunities/funding-programmes-and-open-calls/horizon-europe_en
- [4] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52014XC0628(01)&from=EN
- [5] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32021R0241&from=EN
- [6] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32019R0856&from=EN
- [7] https://ec.europa.eu/info/business-economy-euro/banking-and-finance/sustainable-finance/overview-sustainable-finance/platform-sustainable-finance_en