Hilpert and Mildner, editors of the comprehensive 2013 report, and with Dalheimer and Gebauer providing the Preface, indicated that at the beginning of the twenty-first century dynamic emerging economies such as Brazil, China, and India have joined the major industrial nations of North America, Europe, and Japan as the principal consumers of mineral raw materials – and their pre-eminent producers. As well as bringing together the world’s most populous, economically powerful states and biggest trading nations, the Group of 20 unites the most important producers and consumers of mineral raw materials.
The uneven distribution of mineral deposits across the earth’s surface created by geological processes raises central geopolitical questions, particularly concerning raw material access and their trading conditions. Extraction and processing of raw materials, as well as the ensuing production of manufactured goods, take place within a global division of labor and are generally distributed throughout different world regions. Many governments of industrial nations that are dependent on imports (of metal raw materials) have responded to fluctuations in demand and price by implementing national raw materials strategies, while even major mineral raw material producing countries are seen to be coordinating their political strategies internally and externally. Countries that both produce and consume large amounts of mineral raw materials
face particular challenges in formulating a coherent raw materials policy. The G20 countries are marked by very different mineral economy and industrial development starting conditions. This is reflected in the ways the subject of raw materials is perceived and which raw materials policies are implemented. They operate in between unilateral initiatives and international cooperation.
The present study is based on the following questions:
Which interests and objectives do the G20 countries pursue with their strategies for raw materials?
Which tools are available for the G20 countries to implement their strategies?
Are there any opportunities for a more coordinated international raw materials policy?
International raw materials policy is a cross-cutting issue that combines central global challenges with regard to economic policy, trade, environmental protection, and development. Because of its economic policy coordinating function, the forum of the G20 offers an opportunity to deal with global questions relating to raw material production, consumption, and trade. It is in that context that the G20 was chosen as the object of study.
The study presented here was conducted on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in a collaborative project involving the German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). The study was initiated by the Sector Project Policy Advice Mineral and Energy Resources that is advising the BMZ on issues relating to development cooperation policies in the raw materials sector.
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