We have been watching the EU process for some time, eager to determine when the EU conflict minerals regulation will finally be adopted. A source familiar with the EU Council proceedings has told us about the Council’s next steps, which will determine when the final consensus of the regulation can be expected.

The Council of the EU is currently developing its position on the conflict minerals regulation as proposed by the European Parliament on May 20, 2015. The Council working group met in September to discuss their preliminary views on the proposed regulation. During the September meeting, the European Commission presented its assessment of the draft regulation to the group. The presidency of the Council (which rotates between EU member states every 6 months) is held by Luxembourg until December 2015. We have learned that the Council aims to reach a position on the draft regulation during the Luxembourgish presidency (or by the end of 2015). Once this position is reached, trialogue negotiations with the Parliament and the Commission will begin. The result of those trialogue discussions would be a final consensus on the conflict minerals regulation.

Therefore, the timeline for the draft regulation will extend into 2016. The trialogue negotiations (among the EU Parliament, the Commission, and the Council) are not likely to begin until early 2016.