The European Union and the Democratic Republic of Congo are starting discussions for a partnership on the value chain of strategic minerals. This decision follows French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Kinshasa from March 3 to 5.
The two parties agreed to continue discussions to reach the signing before September 2023 of a memorandum of understanding between the EU and the DRC. This partnership is based on the need for a transversal value chain and the participation of all relevant sector ministries, including the governance unit.
The partnership focuses on four pillars: the strategic minerals value chain, research and innovation, alignment with environmental, social and governance criteria, and capacity building.
The DRC has also embarked on a vast project to develop a local value chain and market around the battery, electric vehicle and renewable energy industry.
The new 2018 mining code identifies four “strategic metals”: cobalt, coltan, germanium and lithium. The Western ecological transition requires the massive use of strategic minerals, such as cobalt in the production of batteries for electric cars. The economic impacts for the DRC are significant and require close collaboration with the EU for the sustainable exploitation and use of these resources.
This partnership is also part of the new EU strategy for the Great Lakes and the Global Gateway, which aims to strengthen cooperation between the two partners on economic, political and security issues.