Press release

EU Commission doubles down on risky Barroso mine project – NGOs warn of new “sacrifice zone” 

26 November 2025

Environmental lawyers and community groups warn that the EU Commission’s push to greenlight a controversial lithium mine in Northern Portugal risks sacrificing rural regions and fragile ecosystems for short-term profit.

The European Commission has today rejected the request by Associação Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso (UDCB), MiningWatch Portugal and ClientEarth to remove  the Mina do Barroso lithium mining project from its list of ‘strategic projects’ - a designation linked to its drive to expand critical mineral extraction under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA).

NGOs and community groups had challenged the Commission’s decision to label the mining project as ‘strategic’ – arguing that it ignores mounting evidence that the mine’s design poses grave environmental and safety risks. But instead of addressing the serious environmental and social concerns raised, the Commission largely dismissed the substantive environmental and social criticisms raised by communities.

It argued that major issues – from water scarcity to biodiversity and tailings safety – fall under Portuguese responsibility, stressing that its role under the Critical Raw Materials Act does not include verifying full compliance with EU environmental law. Despite this limited scrutiny, it still deemed the Barroso mine “sustainable,” creating a legal presumption that the project serves the public interest and protects public health and safety, even as major risks remain unaddressed.

The Commission also refused to examine the social and human rights impacts of the project even if they could result from potential environmental damage.

ClientEarth lawyer Ilze Tralmaka, said:

“The Commission is wrong to use the Critical Raw Materials Act to fast-track projects that the science shows are unsafe, environmentally destructive and unnecessary. The green transition cannot come at the cost of geographical and community safety.

At the same time, expert evidence suggests that we should reduce lithium demand as far as possible and, investing in recycling, and thereby reducing the need for new mining.”

Independent studies have found that the project’s mining waste storage and water management plans could lead to contamination and catastrophic failure in heavy rainfall, threatening farming, local livelihoods and even the famous the Port Wine region of the Douro river. Moreover, a recent study by expert Douw Steyn has identified serious flaws in the air-quality assessment of the Barroso Mine project.

MiningWatch Portugal Nik Völker said:

“This decision shows that the EU is willing to trade rural lives and irreplaceable landscapes for a political headline. Calling something a ‘strategic project’ doesn’t make it safe or sustainable. The truth is, the Mina do Barroso mine offers minimal benefits and enormous risks: a textbook example of how not to do a green transition.”

Local residents say the project threatens their land, water and way of life.

UDCB Aida Fernandes said:

“We are told this mine is for the good of Europe, but the people who will pay the price live here. Our springs, our soil and our farms are what keeps this community alive. Once they are gone, they are gone forever. Europe cannot build a green future by destroying the places that are already living sustainably. Covas do Barroso is not a sacrifice zone, it’s our home.”

While supply security is a legitimate goal, the NGOs warn that the CRMA and the status of a strategic project are being misused  to secure access to financing and faster permitting  of mining projects with major operational questions and without any real scrutiny over the environmental and social impacts these projects will have.

ENDS

Notes to editors: 
  • The complaint was filed by UDCB, MiningWatch Portugal and ClientEarth on 12 June 2025, challenging the Commission’s decision to grant Mina do Barroso preferential ‘strategic project’ status under the Critical Raw Materials Act.
  • The Mina do Barroso mine was conditionally approved by the Portuguese Environment Agency in May 2023, despite local and expert opposition.
  • A recent study by expert Douw Steyn has identified serious flaws in the air-quality assessment of the Barroso Mine Environmental Impact Study, including insufficient data, unrealistic modelling, and significant omissions. He considers the issuance of a favorable environmental declaration “surprising,” arguing that the conclusions of public authorities contradict the available evidence.
  • Studies have shown that a societal shift away from private cars – such as creating walkable cities with good public transport – would greatly limit the rise in demand for lithium, as would halting the surge in SUVs that need big batteries.  
  • Experts also call for reducing lithium demand as a way of meeting societal needs while staying within planetary boundaries.
  • The Critical Raw Materials Act was adopted in 2024 to secure Europe’s access to essential materials for the green and digital transitions. The EU is also developing a Water Resilience Strategy to address increasing water scarcity, pollution, and the impact of climate change on water resources.
  • A United Nations committee has raised concerns about transparency and public participation in the project’s licensing process.
About ClientEarth

ClientEarth is a non-profit organisation that uses the law to create systemic change that protects the Earth for – and with – its inhabitants. We are tackling climate change, protecting nature and stopping pollution, with partners and citizens around the globe. We hold industry and governments to account, and defend everyone’s right to a healthy world. From our offices in Europe, Asia and the USA we shape, implement and enforce the law, to build a future for our planet in which people and nature can thrive together.

About UDCB 

Unidos em Defesa de Covas do Barroso (UDCB) is a local non-profit association that defends the environment, heritage and quality of life in Covas do Barroso.
We work to maintain the sustainable way of life that characterises the Barroso region and ensure that it continues to play its part in tackling climate change.
We defend the land and the community from projects that threaten our collective future and identity. We are people committed to the principles of communitarianism, respect for nature and the right to active civic participation and collective self-determination.

About MiningWatch Portugal 

MiningWatch Portugal is an independent and interdisciplinary monitoring network, designed to support civil society and especially local communities confronted with environmental legacy and social impacts of the extractive industry in Portugal. In this respect, the network performs monitoring of environmental and social liabilities of past and ongoing activities and also analyses the possible risk of new projects.