DRC - EU Strategic Partnership on sustainable raw materials value chains

Country / jurisdiction: Democratic Republic of the Congo · Year: 2023 · Status: In force · Level: International · Type: Voluntary

The strategic partnership between the European Union and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) aims to secure strategic and critical raw materials in a sustainable manner for the green transition. Both parties express commitment to sustainable development, local value addition and respecting each other's rights in extending raw materials and net-zero technologies value chains within their countries.The MoU was signed as part of the European Union's Global Gateway strategy, which aims to mobilise up to EUR 300 billion in public and private investments from 2021 to 2027.

The partnership covers non-energy and non-agriculture raw materials along the entire value chain, with a primary focus on strategic and critical raw materials. Five areas of collaboration are identified:

Integration, where feasible, of (critical) raw materials and renewable hydrogen value chains, including networking, new business models and promotion and facilitation of trade and investment linkages.

Mobilisation of funding for the development of infrastructure required for project development.

Co-operation to leverage environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria and align with international standards, including through increased due diligence and traceability.

Co-operation on research and innovation along the raw materials value chain.

Capacity building to enforce laws and regulations and increase training and skills.

The MoU commits the European Union and the DRC to develop, within six months of the signing, an initial operational roadmap for concrete activities across the five key areas of collaboration.

On the same day, the European Union announced a similar MoU with Zambia and a separate MoU with the Angola, DRC, the United States, Zambia, the African Development Bank, and the Africa Finance Corporation to support development of the "Lobito Corridor," which would connect the mining regions in Southern DRC and Northern Zambia to ports in Angola to facilitate export of raw materials.

Official source: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_23_5303