THIS CONTENT HAS BEEN ARCHIVED
EU urges the Government to take immediate action to stop illegal mining in Afghanistan
Text
Last week the EU anti-corruption campaign focused on illegal mining in Afghanistan.
Here are some concrete actions that the Government could undertake immediately:
- Appoint a capable and trusted Minister of Mines & Petroleum to revitalize and empower the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum to normalize the mining sector.
- Make sure that the money from existing mining licenses is paid into a single - transparent - government account. Existing mining companies and operations must start sharing their revenue with the Afghan people. Companies that do not pay their taxes voluntarily should have their licences revoked.
- Re-examine all mining licences that do not produce income for the Afghan Government.
- Ensure control over the largest and most active mining operations, where illegal mining is taking place – like the Lapis Lazuli mine in Sar-e-Sang.