The Guardian20 Jun 2026Supply chain
Automatically composed with AI from the cited sources
More than half of the 33 new or expanded mines recently designated as EU strategic projects are in regions that have been drying over the past two decades, according to analysis by Watershed Investigations based on Nasa satellite data. The European Commission is preparing to revise the water framework directive to remove permitting bottlenecks for these critical-mineral projects, while six of the mines are planned for highly water-stressed areas in Spain. The environmental organisation Ecologistas en Acción is legally challenging the strategic-project designation of all six Spanish mines, and groups including the European Environmental Bureau called the directive rewrite reckless.