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EU Conflict Minerals regulation update

On July 14, following the partial vote in the May plenary and the decision to refer the file back to the committee, members of the European Parliament Committee on International Trade (INTA) voted in favor of entering into trilogue negotiations with the Council with the aim of reaching a first reading agreement on what might be a difficult deal to broker, since MEPs in May endorsed a mandatory approach to the certification of minerals originating in conflict areas.

A support of majority of INTA members was needed to approve this decision. 24 INTA MEPs voted in favour of entering into informal trilogues with the Council, no INTA MEP voted against starting the talks, 15 abstained.

The trilogues can start once the Council has agreed its negotiating position. Informal negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council of the EU on conflict minerals are expected to kick off after the summer break.

In their July 14 meeting, INTA also composed the negotiating team. The EP negotiators will be: Bernd Lange (S&D, Germany), Chairman of the Committee; Rapporteur Iuliu Winkler (EPP, Romania), and Shadow Rapporteurs Maria Arena (S&D, Belgium), Emma McClarkin (ECR, UK), Marielle de Sarnez (ALDE, France), Helmut Scholz (GUE/NGL, Germany), Ska Keller (Greens/EFA, Germany), and Titziana Beghin (EFDD, Italy).