The federal government has formalized a new classification system for strategic minerals, dividing resources into three priority levels to strengthen industrial sovereignty and the national energy transition.
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed a strategic decree that sets clear guidelines for managing mineral resources vital to the country’s development. The measure, published in an extra edition of the Diário Oficial da União, institutionalizes technical criteria for classifying minerals deemed essential to the economy and national security, guiding the actions of the newly created Cimce (National Council for the Industrialization of Critical and Strategic Minerals).
The move reflects the government’s effort to organize the mining sector under the umbrella of the PNMCE (National Policy on Critical and Strategic Minerals). Under the leadership of the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, the council began its work with the mission of turning Brazil’s geological potential into industrial assets, mitigating vulnerabilities in the face of the global geopolitical landscape.
Hierarchy and resource management
The new standard segments minerals into three distinct priority levels, allowing the state to direct resources and public policies more efficiently. The classification takes into account external dependence, global supply concentration, and the role of these inputs in the ecological transition.
Defining these classes enables Brazil to act with surgical precision, prioritizing everything from monitoring substances to direct interventions to strengthen essential production chains for our autonomy.
The categories were divided as follows:
- Class 1: Focus on priority state action due to high risks or high‑impact strategic opportunities.
- Class 2: Actions aimed at developing production chains and reducing external dependence.
- Class 3: substances that require continuous strategic monitoring and periodic market reassessments.
Criteria for Industrial Development
For a material to receive the “critical” label, the government will require proof that the element is economically indispensable and that its scarcity would threaten vital sectors such as food sovereignty and energy security. Conversely, the “strategic” classification prioritizes export potential and regional development, assessing the weight of Brazilian reserves in the global market.
The Cimce now has the prerogative to consolidate and update the Official List of these inputs. The Palácio do Planalto expects that structuring this policy will attract investments focused on sustainability and technology, positioning Brazil not only as a commodity exporter but as a central player in the emerging global green and tech economy.