Colombia's mining sector braces for change with proposed reforms
Bnamericas
Published: Friday, May 03, 2024
In the coming months, the Colombian government will send a bill to congress aimed at reforming the mining code that has been in force since 2001.
The proposed amendments are one of the greatest current challenges facing the mining industry in the country, as they would entail some important changes.
If approved, among other aspects, the modifications will grant a greater role to the State in the industry, including extraction of strategic minerals...
... STATE PRIORITY FOR STRATEGIC MINERALS
The reform proposal stipulates that in designated strategic mineral areas, activities in each phase of the mining cycle will preferably be conducted by the Colombian geological service, state-owned industrial and commercial enterprises, and mixed public-private companies. Public-private partnerships may also be formed.
In exceptional circumstances where direct agreements with the geological service or state-owned companies are not feasible, the national mining agency (ANM) will conduct selection processes to contract for strategic mineral areas. Experts argue that this grants the State an active role in mineral exploration and extraction and could hinder interest in Colombia as a mining jurisdiction.
This prioritization for the State also involves the establishment of state-owned company EcoMinerales, a project proposed by the Gustavo Petro government and submitted to congress in December, although it has yet to be debated. ..
source and full article:
https://www.bnamericas.com/en/features/colombias-mining-sector-braces-for-change-with-proposed-reforms ----------
Petro and his gang are in some ways in hurry, including our case. Last local elcections showed up already quite a desaster for his party. Most probably voters will kick him out of office in the next national elections. Before this happens he wants to fix things about Colombian minerals in his meaning, thus semi nationalize them. And he wants to put his people into the lucrative positions to govern these minerals as much as possible.