To dig or not to dig? An integrated post-structuralist analysis of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and its justice implications for local communities

Abstract: In its proposed 2023 Critical Raw Materials Act, the European Commission considers access to critical raw materials within its territory as key to both the green transition and to reduce import dependencies. This onshoring of extractivist practices warrants a critical analysis that reflects on the justice implications this may have for local communities. Therefore, I apply an integrated post-structuralist analysis to identify the dominant policy narratives the EU portrays in its proposal and examine the environmental justice counter-discourses that are raised in its public consultation process. On this basis, I find that in the current proposal, narratives of ‘mining-for-sustainability, ‘mining-for-security and ‘public-acceptance-for-mining’ are fostered. In turn, with respect to local communities’ rights, environmental justice counter-discourses raised that for the proposal to be fair, it should place greater emphasis on distributive mechanisms, recognize the needs of local communities and incorporate procedural mechanisms that allow for meaningful community participation in decision-making processes.