24
Y. Fouquet and D. Lacroix
Challenges for France
Marine mineral resources are seen first of all as a resource to be controlled within
the EEZ, hence the following priorities: inventory of mineral resources in the French
EEZ; definition of exploration and exploitation rules within the EEZ; seeking of
agreements between States for potential deposits of strategic interest in international
waters; implementation of a regional scientific and technological integration capacity, either as a European partnership or through a multilateral agreement (e.g. France,
Germany and Russia).
Priority
Inventorying resources in the EEZ becomes the priority of exploration campaigns.
Cycles as Usual
Context
Regular alternation between phases of economic development and global economic
recession, together with the emergence of a greater number of stakeholders in the
geopolitical field, puts crises into perspective and leads to a search for reinforced
cooperation between States. Economic stakeholders are in search of new sectors to
maintain their competitive edge and their offer. States and industry implement supply diversification policies to preserve an operational mining sector.
Supply risks
4 (high)
1 (low)
1 (low)
4 (high)
2
3
3
2
Cu
Ta
V
Ti
Li
Ga
Nb
In
Mn
Rh
Pt
REE
Pd
Fig. 1.9  North-American
vision of the position of
metals according to supply
risks and the impact of a
restriction. (Source: United
States Geological Association
(USGA) 2009)