At What Cost? The EU’s Race for Critical Raw Materials in the Global South

In this episode, Isabela Franco and Lora Verheecke from Counter Balance unpack the EU’s growing push for critical raw materials and its implications for the Global South. They discuss the Global Gateway, the Critical Raw Materials Act, the use of public funds to “de-risk” private investments and the lack of meaningful participation for impacted communities and Indigenous people. A concise and critical look at how Europe’s green, digital and defence ambitions risk reinforcing extractivist and neocolonial models.