Executive summary
As the demand for critical minerals intensifies in the context of the green transition, deep-sea mining has emerged as a controversial prospect. This policy brief warns against the authorisation of deep-sea mining, particularly under mounting pressure from both International Seabed Authority (ISA) member states and non-parties. It highlights the significant environmental, legal, and economic risks, and calls on the European Union and its member states to adopt at least a unified precautionary approach.
Deep-sea ecosystems remain among the least understood and most vulnerable on Earth. Scientific consensus warns of potentially irreversible impacts from deep-sea mining on biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and marine ecosystems.
Commercial viability is also in question, with failed pilot projects, lack of investor confidence, and strong opposition from leading corporations, financial institutions, and civil society.
The paper thus stresses the urgency of coordinated EU leadership at the ISA, especially as negotiations over a mining code intensify ahead of the July 2025 Council session. The “two-year rule” triggered by Nauru may soon allow mining to proceed without environmental safeguards, further exacerbated by recent unilateral moves from the Trump administration to authorise deep-sea mining outside international legal frameworks.
Given the EU’s leadership in global ocean governance and its recent commitments under the European Ocean Pact, the time is ripe for a strong, coherent stance. This paper recommends that the EU and its member states advocate collectively for, at the very least, a moratorium or precautionary pause on deep-sea mining until robust scientific evidence can ensure no harm to the marine environment.