Marcel Fratzscher, president of the German Institute for Economic Research, called for tighter state control over the export of critical raw materials. He told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” that while Germany should allow foreign companies to mine these resources, the federal government ought to have a veto right on their export-especially when trade conflicts arise-so that the country can keep the materials in its own hands.
Fratzscher’s remarks come in response to joint investigations by RND and several regional partner outlets. The German government has announced plans to reduce dependence on imports of critical minerals from countries such as China. Yet the investigative findings show that the bulk of the projected mining activity benefits predominantly international corporations and investors.
In Germany, more than 140 mining “fields” have received approval. About two‑thirds of the operating companies have shareholders outside the EU. Behind many of these investors lie intricate corporate structures that include U.S. private‑equity firms, British investors, and even former Bolivian president Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada-who fled the country after violently suppressed protests. Several networked entities involved in these mining ventures are linked to autocratic regimes in Kuwait and China.
The European Union has set a target of sourcing 10 % of all required critical raw materials from domestic reserves by 2030. However, the RND research indicates that even in areas where extraction will occur, there is currently no political mechanism to determine who will gain access to the resources in a crisis. Mining approvals do not mandate that the materials benefit domestic or European industry.
