Lula and Silveira reactivate the National Council for Mineral Policy amid global dispute over strategic minerals.
The government sees US interest in the sector as an opportunity to negotiate tariffs and seeks to define a national strategy for sustainable exploration.
247 - The president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, are participating this Thursday in the first meeting of National Council for Mineral Policy (CNPM), an agency created to define public policies focused on the mining sector and reactivated after more than two years of inactivity.
According to a reporter posted by The GlobeThe meeting takes place in a context of strong US interest in the exploration of critical and strategic minerals in Brazil. The Brazilian government, in turn, sees this rapprochement as an opportunity for diplomatic negotiation to try to reverse the tariffs imposed on national products.
The so-called critical minerals Minerals such as lithium, niobium, copper, and rare earths are considered essential for the global energy transition and the advancement of high-tech industries. The competition for these resources has become a central axis of the geopolitical rivalry between the United States and China, and Brazil is seen as one of the few countries capable of sustainably expanding the global supply.
According to data from Brazilian Mining Institute (Ibram), Brazil holds about 10% of world reserves of these resources, although its current production represents only 0,09% of global supplyThe goal of the CNPM is precisely to outline strategies for the country to expand its production and take advantage of the economic and geopolitical potential of the sector.
Minister Alexandre Silveira emphasized, during a public hearing in the Chamber of Deputies, that he will discuss the issue directly with the president's government. Donald Trump Later this month, he was invited to a meeting with the United States Secretary of Energy. Chris Wright, which will address the possibilities of bilateral cooperation in the energy and mineral sectors.
Created in 2022, during the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro, the Council had not been implemented until then. Upon reassuming the presidency, President Lula ordered a review of the structure and responsibilities of the body, now strengthened as a strategic instrument of Brazilian mineral policy.
According to the reactivation decree, the CNPM It will be composed of representatives from 16 ministriesincluding those of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Environment, Science and Technology, Industry, Justice, Integration and the Civil House, in addition to Institutional Security OfficeThe committee will be chaired by Alexandre Silveira and will also include representatives from mining municipalities, universities, experts e civil society entities, with two-year terms.
The relaunch of the Council reinforces the government's strategy of positioning Brazil as a protagonist in the new global economy based on clean energy, technological innovation, and the responsible exploitation of natural resources.
