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US-EU Statement on 1st High-Level Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) Forum

Jul 18, 2024 , ,

18 July 2024

The text of the following statement was released by the Government of the United States of America and the European Commission:

On July 18, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Jose W. Fernandez and Deputy Director-General for Trade Leopoldo Rubinacci hosted the first high-level MSP Forum event. Ministers and high-level officials from MSP partner countries and mineral-producing countries participated virtually.

Since its inception in June 2022, the MSP has engaged with mineral-producing countries during gatherings with MSP partners and private sector companies. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken and European Commission Executive Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis launched the MSP Forum in April 2024 to deepen and cement the MSP’s partnership with mineral-producing countries committed to high environmental, social, and governance standards and ready to advance mutually beneficial dialogue and cooperation on critical minerals. MSP Forum members will work together to develop individual projects and promote a dialogue on policies that contribute to diversification and resilience of supply chains.

During the event, the MSP Forum Co-Chairs, the United States and the European Union, shared the main objectives and a roadmap for the MSP Forum, including its two work streams, project development and policy dialogue. Under Secretary Fernandez and Deputy Director-General Rubinacci also welcomed eight new members of the MSP Forum – Argentina, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Namibia, Peru, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.

The United States and the European Union look forward to working with MSP Forum members to coordinate the development of more sustainable and diverse critical minerals projects and promote policies that help us achieve our shared goals during the energy transition.

Source – U.S. State Department

 

EU and international partners agree to expand cooperation on critical raw materials

Today, the EU, the US, and other Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) partners, joined by Kazakhstan, Namibia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan, announced the launch of the Minerals Security Partnership Forum (or “MSP Forum”). The forum will serve as a new platform for cooperation in the area of critical raw materials (CRMs) vital for the global green and digital transitions.

The Critical Raw Materials Club announced by the European Commission now becomes a full part of the MSP Forum. This will create a greater, more ambitious joint initiative linked to the Minerals Security Partnership, where the European Commission represents the EU. The Forum will bring together resource-rich countries and countries with high demand for these resources.

The work of the MSP Forum will be developed around two strands:

  • a project group focused on supporting and accelerating the implementation of sustainable critical minerals projects;
  • a policy dialogue that will identify policies for boosting sustainable production and local capacities, facilitate regulatory cooperation to foster fair competition, transparency and predictability, and promote high environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards in CRM supply chains.

Membership of the MSP Forum will be open to partners who are ready to commit to the key MSP principles, including diversification of global supply chains and high environmental standards, good governance and fair working conditions. In a sign of strong transatlantic cooperation, the EU and the United States will co-lead the new forum.

Next steps

The EU and US, together with current MSP partners, are reaching out to prospective members in North and South America, Africa, Asia and Europe, to expand the participation in the Forum and start working within the project and policy dialogue groups.

Background

The MSP Forum builds on the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Package adopted in March 2023, which emphasised the need for more diverse and more sustainable CRM supply chains through new, mutually supportive international partnerships, such as the CRM Club. The MSP currently has 15 partners (Australia, Canada, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the US and the EU).

CRMs are indispensable for a wide set of technologies needed for EU strategic sectors such as the net-zero industry, digital, space and defence. While the demand for such critical raw materials has never been higher, it is expected to continue to grow driven by the green and digital transitions. For instance, EU demand for lithium used in electric-vehicles batteries and energy storage is expected to increase twelve-fold by 2030. Meanwhile, the supply of CRMs is confronted with rising geopolitical, environmental, and social risks and challenges.

More information

European Critical Raw Materials Act

Minerals Security Partnership

Questions and answers

Factsheet

Quote

The MSP Forum is a cornerstone of the EU’s strategy to secure a more sustainable supply of critical raw materials. It will be key to reducing our vulnerabilities and to achieve the green and digital transition, both in Europe and beyond. With this global initiative, we want to make sure that international cooperation is up to the task of increasing investment, diversifying supply chains and bringing sustainable benefits to all parties. Together, we can achieve the transition to a more sustainable future.

Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for Trade

Soure – EU Commission

 

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