Marcel Fratzscher, the president of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), has called for stronger state control over the export of critical raw materials. He told the “Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland” (RND) that Germany may allow foreign companies to mine essential minerals on German soil, but the federal government should retain a veto right on any export of these resources. Fratzscher emphasized that this power would be particularly useful in the event of trade disputes, enabling Germany to keep the materials domestically if needed.
Fratzscher’s remarks respond to joint investigative work by RND and several regional partner outlets. Berlin’s stated goal is to make Germany less dependent on imports of critical raw materials from countries such as China. Yet the research shows that, so far, the main beneficiaries of planned mining operations are large international corporations and foreign investors.
In Germany, more than 140 mining “fields” have been granted permits. Companies operating in about two‑thirds of these fields have shareholders located outside the European Union. Many of these investors are part of intricate corporate networks 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. In several instances, the ownership webs extend to autocratic states such as Kuwait or China.
The European Union has set a target of sourcing 10 % of its critical raw materials domestically by 2030. However, the RND investigation indicates that, even where mining is planned, there is currently no political safeguard determining who will ultimately receive the materials. The existing mining permits do not obligate the extracted resources to serve domestic or European industry.