Brazilian government installs Mining Policy Council and sets out policy priorities

More than three years after it was established by Decree No. 11,108 (June 29, 2022), the Brazilian Mining Policy Council (Conselho Nacional de Política Mineral – CNPM) was finally installed on October 16, 2025. The council consists of 18 federal government ministers (chaired by the Minister of Mines and Energy), in addition to the CEO of the Brazilian Geological Service (Companhia de Pesquisa de Recursos Minerais – CPRM). Representatives from Brazil’s states and municipalities will also be invited to join the council, as will civil society and higher education institutions with knowledge of the mining sector.

At its first meeting, the CNPM established priorities for Brazilian mining policy, with the creation of a new National Mining Plan (the existing ‘National Mining Plan 2030’ was conceived back in 2011) that is expected to be submitted to public consultation in the coming months.

As well as the new mining plan, the CNPM has formed a series of working groups focused on studying important topics related to mining in Brazil, with the objective of proposing potential new improvements and rules:

Inspection Fees and Financial Charges – The first group will analyze the inspection fees for mineral resources imposed by state governments, their proportionality and transparency, as well as the parameters for defining and calculating them. It will also assess the financial obligations of the holders of mineral rights, map out international experiences and evaluate incentives for exploration and mining. Based on these initiatives, the group is expected to formulate a diagnosis of these aspects within Brazil’s mining legislation.

Critical and Strategic Minerals – The second group is in charge of establishing a national strategy for critical and strategic minerals. It will also be responsible for studying mechanisms for financial guarantees and risk mitigation, exemptions and potential incentives and special tax regimes for the mining sector. Cooperation between federal and state governments should also be analyzed.

Mining and Sustainable Development – The key question to be addressed by this third group concerns integrating mining activities into sustainability and socioeconomic development policies. Guidelines are expected to be created regarding special environmental licensing for critical and strategic minerals. The creation of protected areas and areas with restricted use that overlap with mineral rights will also be covered in the analysis, as will the support and monitoring for licensing of critical and strategic mineral projects. Moreover, the group is expected to focus on artisanal and small-scale gold mining activities.

Oversight of Mining Activities – This fourth group will focus on studying inspection mechanisms for the mineral sector – notably, the role of the Brazilian Mining Agency (ANM) in this regard, and the potential for it to cooperate with state governments. The group will also evaluate the role of Brazil’s states in relation to the registration, monitoring and inspections of mining activities in order to map out potential overlaps, gaps and conflicts between the powers attributed to them.

The CNPM’s agenda is ambitious and covers a number of highly relevant topics for the mining sector. Above all, it points to a new national mining plan, the modernization of sectoral policy and a special focus on critical and strategic minerals that companies in the sector have desired for some time. Beyond these initiatives, it is expected that the Brazilian government will also develop mechanisms for implementing those studies and sectoral policy, and in ensuring that the country’s mining authority is properly structured.

For more information on this topic, please contact Mattos Filho’s Infrastructure & Energy and Mining practice areas.