Europe’s Mining Waste Regulations Found Lacking, Says NGO Report

Despite Europe’s reputation for high environmental and social standards, its regulations on mining waste are outdated and insufficient, according to a legal analysis commissioned by the European NGO Transport & Environment (T&E). As Europe plans to ramp up mining activities to meet the 10% benchmark set by the Critical Raw Materials Act, the NGO assessed the adequacy of current regulations. The analysis, conducted by Netherlands-based law firm Hörchner Advocaten, revealed significant shortcomings in the 2006 EU Extractive Waste Directive (EWD). The report highlights issues such as the lack of mandated safest mining waste technologies, inadequate protection for the environment and communities, unclear responsibilities in case of accidents, and uncertain timelines for mine closures. T&E warns that these gaps could lead to inconsistent application of the directive across member states, increasing the risk of environmental and social harm. The NGO is now calling for an urgent revision of the EWD to address these concerns.