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The European Commission's Critical Minerals Push The European Commission plans to rewrite the EU's flagship water protection law to speed up the development of critical minerals mines, despite many being located in drying and water-stressed regions. Water-Stressed Regions and Mining Mining is a water-intensive industry, requiring large volumes of water for ore processing, dust suppression, waste management and mine dewatering. Analysis and mapping by Watershed Investigations found that more than half of the 33 planned new or expanded mines designated as 'strategic projects' under the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act are located in areas that have been drying over the past two decades. The Data Analysis More than half of the 33 planned mines are in areas that have been drying over the past two decades. Nearly half are in zones that experienced drought conditions in the past three months. A quarter are in regions deemed water-stressed. Six strategic mines are planned for highly water-stressed areas in Spain, with others in Portugal and Greece. The Impact Analysis Environmental groups fear the proposed changes could weaken protections, while the industry body rejects this suggestion and insists it is 'not a licence to pollute'. The European Commission defended its choice of mines, saying the strategic projects were assessed by independent experts and must comply with EU environmental law. The Prediction Prof Kaveh Madani warned against removing protections, saying 'Fast-tracking mining in water-stressed regions by weakening safeguards is a form of Russian roulette. It may look like an economic booster in the short term, but one serious failure in the wrong location can neutralise many of the promised gains – especially when the damage to people, rivers, aquifers and ecosystems is long-lasting or irreversible.'