REPORT - European draft Regulation on responsible mineral sourcing. What lessons can be learned from the Democratic Republic of Congo

The discussions surrounding the proposed EU Regulation seem to have intensified the debate on the lessons to be learned from the many initiatives launched in DRC to fight against the phenomenon of ‘conflict minerals’. EurAc would like to contribute to this debate by setting out in this document the analytical bases of its position and recommendations. These bases aim at clarifying the main lessons to be learned from DRC to date. Taking into account the many different facets of the Congolese artisanal mining sector, this clarification exercise will inevitably involve a certain degree of complexity. The analytical bases are therefore presented in 4 chapters, each addressing one of the main issues raised by ‘conflict minerals’ in DRC.