Daily Digest for

The European Parliament’s Committee on Development commissioned a two-part study (Technical and logistical considerations; Options for implementation) on traceability of critical raw materials with a focus on Africa, produced by Christopher Vandome and Romane Dideberg (Chatham House) and delivered to the European Parliament (PE 754.473, July 2025).

• Main action: The study maps existing traceability approaches (CoC models, bag-and-tag, digital ledgers, geo-chemical fingerprinting, artificial tagging) and issues recommendations for the EU and partners: standardise data-sharing protocols, support interoperability, fund R&D (Horizon Europe), invest via Global Gateway/EIB (Global Gateway: EUR 300 billion overall, EUR 150 billion for Africa), and prioritise inclusion of ASM in traceability solutions. It recommends concrete institutional roles (European Commission DGs, EEAS, EIB, Horizon Europe) and proposes licensing/recognition of acceptable due-diligence schemes as implementing acts.

• Background & details: The paper documents operational challenges (mixing/blending, corruption, infrastructure, energy and data gaps), technology limits (blockchain, AI, geochemical fingerprinting, artificial micro-tagging), pilot projects and funding examples (USAID Zahabu Safi USD 11.9 million; MSP-linked loans: USD 150 million loan for Balama/graphite; USD 105 million facility for Epanko; EU–South Africa investment package EUR 4.7 billion). Timeline/context: manuscripts completed 02-04-2025 and 10-05-2025; IEA/OECD joint report (Feb 2025) and policy actions (CRMA 2024, CSRD/CSDDD 2024, Batteries Regulation 2023) frame recommendations.

CADEP and NISS July 2025 ‘AI Frontiers’ report summarizes major AI market, policy and technology developments including OpenAI’s $30B/year Oracle deal, NVIDIA’s $4T market cap and resumed China chip sales, Meta’s 5 GW data center plans, Mistral’s $1B fundraise talks, and multiple defense and infrastructure contracts.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) renewing their collaboration to promote sustainable economic development in Africa.

• The MOU focuses on six priority areas: green infrastructure, industrialization, private capital mobilization including Public-Private Partnerships, cross-border connectivity, digitalization, and policy-based financing, aligned with AfDB’s Ten-Year Strategy 2024–2033 and AIIB’s Corporate Strategy.
• The partnership includes co-financing, co-guaranteeing, and joint financial assistance for sustainable infrastructure projects, exemplified by their guarantees supporting Egypt’s first Sustainable Panda Bond issuance in 2023 valued at RMB 3.5 billion.

This renewed collaboration aims to accelerate infrastructure development and economic opportunities across Africa, including boosting energy access to connect 300 million people to electricity by 2030 under Mission 300.

United Rare Earths has licensed two technologies from Oak Ridge National Laboratory to reduce dependence on critical rare earth elements for magnet production.

• The technologies enable creation of high-performance magnets with significantly less rare earth content, supporting U.S. energy independence and technological leadership.
• The innovation was developed by ORNL’s David Parker and team in partnership with DOE’s Critical Materials Innovation Hub.
  This initiative advances national security by securing critical mineral supply chains and reducing reliance on scarce resources.

The UK Government has launched the Solar Roadmap to accelerate rooftop solar deployment across the country.

• The plan aims to deliver 45-47 GW of solar capacity by 2030, supporting up to 35,000 jobs and using less than 0.5% of UK land; includes mandates for solar on new build homes, calls for evidence on solar in car parks, and a safety review for portable plug-in solar panels.
• Financial support collaborations are underway with the Green Finance Institute and others; Great British Energy committed £200 million for rooftop solar on schools and hospitals; new build homes will have solar panels by default under the Future Homes Standard.
  This initiative is set to reduce energy bills by around £500 annually for families, enhance energy security, and support the UK’s clean energy transition with practical government and industry actions.

The Taiwan Carbon Exchange and the European Energy Exchange (EEX) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on June 27, 2025, in Leipzig, Germany, witnessed by Taiwan’s Minister of Environment and other officials.

• EEX will share its extensive experience in operating the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), including talent training, platform design, and operations, to support Taiwan’s ETS development.
• Taiwan plans to pilot the ETS in 2026 and implement it alongside the carbon fee system from 2027 to 2028, with cross-ministerial cooperation to establish legal frameworks and regulations.

This collaboration marks a significant step toward establishing a robust and transparent carbon trading platform in Taiwan, leveraging EU expertise to build the country’s ETS system.

The Welsh Government has officially opened Wales’ first commercial mine water heat scheme in Ammanford, developed by the Mining Remediation Authority in partnership with Thermal Earth Ltd and Innovate UK.

• The scheme uses heat exchangers in mine water treatment ponds to provide low-carbon heating and hot water to an industrial unit and offices, saving an estimated 17.5 tonnes of CO₂ annually.
• The project is part of a broader initiative to explore geothermal energy potential across Britain’s coalfields, with ongoing discussions for further schemes in Wales and other UK regions.
  This project demonstrates practical, scalable mine water heat solutions contributing to Wales’ low-carbon heating transition.