Portugal: Suspension of Deep-Sea Mining

On January 31, 2025, the Portuguese Parliament voted to suspend deep-sea mining in the country's territorial waters. The planned moratorium is set to remain in place until 2050. This makes Portugal the first EU country to ban deep-sea mining in the long term in order to protect the marine environment.

In December 2024, Norway decided to suspend the awarding of deep sea mining licences planned for the spring until the end of 2025.