2

For its energy and ecological transition in the digital age, the European Union (EU), faced with the Chinese monopoly and the limits of its recycling and substitution capacities, must secure its rare earth supply. As for Africa, it can become a producer and supplier of the EU. To do this, the African countries producing rare earths must rely on international law to control the issues related to delocalized pollution. A need is thus emerging in the face of geo-economic stakes, geopolitical challenges and ecological dangers linked to the exploitation of African rare earths: that of a global ecological awareness and an international legal framework, which are still in the making.