France Convenes B7 Critical Minerals Investment Forum Ahead of Évian Summit

On June 10, the French government convened the Critical Minerals Investment Forum in Paris on the margins of the Business 7 (B7) Summit and ahead of the June 15‒17 G7 Leaders’ Summit in Évian-les-Bains. The forum, organized under France’s 2026 G7 Presidency by Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty Roland Lescure, brought together more than 100 leaders from mining companies, industrial firms, financial institutions, export credit agencies, multilateral development banks and public authorities from G7 countries and partner countries, including Australia, Brazil and South Korea. According to the French government, the forum focused on financing challenges across critical mineral value chains and on identifying concrete solutions to accelerate investment.

The forum followed the May 18‒19 G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ meeting in Paris, where G7 members previewed a June 10 B7-side event focused on unlocking private investment in critical minerals projects in G7 countries and like-minded partners.

Critical Minerals Investment Forum

The Paris forum focused in large part on financing and investment barriers facing early-stage critical mineral projects. France’s readout stated that discussions centered on challenges to investment, “first and foremost risk-taking and profitability,” noting that mining and processing projects in the early feasibility and development stages are particularly constrained by these issues. Minister Lescure also presented ongoing G7 work to strengthen cooperation on production support, market measures, traceability, strategic stockpiles, recycling and innovation.

At the conclusion of the forum, 39 companies, financial institutions and professional federations endorsed a joint statement calling for increased private capital mobilization and closer public-private coordination. The statement said participants “recognize the strategic importance of critical minerals for the prosperity, economic security and energy transition of our economies,” and welcomed ongoing G7 discussions on “production and supply diversification, market frameworks, transparency and traceability, strategic stockpiling, recycling and innovation.” The signatories also stated that financing mining, processing and refining projects at an early stage remains difficult and that capital mobilization will require “enhanced coordination across the value chain.”

The statement committed signatories to supporting additional private capital through “expanded use of equity and blended finance instruments, long-term offtake agreements, and strengthened partnerships between industry, financial institutions and public actors.” It also called on G7 governments to “continue scaling up risk sharing instruments, support early-stage project development, and strengthen coordination with multilateral development banks to crowd-in private investment.” The statement further encouraged cooperation with resource-rich partners and initiatives to aggregate demand across trusted partners, with the goal of improving market visibility, strengthening investment signals and supporting long-term financing decisions.

Signatories included a mix of major industrial companies, mining firms, banks, investors and business associations, including Airbus, BNP Paribas, Goldman Sachs, Ivanhoe Atlantic, JP Morgan, Orano, Siemens Energy, Société Générale, Solvay, USA Rare Earth, BusinessEurope, Keidanren and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. U.S. government officials in attendance included U.S. Export-Import Bank Chair John Jovanovic, U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) Head of Investments Conor Coleman and National Security Council Senior Director for Global Supply Chains David Copley.

Next Steps

The meeting comes as the Trump administration is taking steps toward a plurilateral critical minerals agreement with like-minded partners. In February 2026, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) requested public comment on the design of a “plurilateral Agreement on Trade in Critical Minerals” and on potential “strategic trade policy and border mechanisms, such as price floors and tariffs.” USTR has also announced critical minerals action plans with Mexico, Japan and the European Union, each of which contemplates coordination on price floors or related border measures as part of a potential binding plurilateral agreement. U.S. officials have stated that countries with action plans are likely to be among the first participants in any plurilateral framework. Separately, the administration is considering using the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)-backed Open Price Exploration for National Security (OPEN) artificial intelligence pricing model to help establish reference prices for certain critical minerals, initially including germanium, gallium, antimony and tungsten.

Meanwhile, G7 countries are reportedly considering creating a permanent secretariat to coordinate critical minerals cooperation, potentially housed within the International Energy Agency (IEA) or the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Recent talks have also exposed differences among G7 members over the degree to which countries should coordinate critical mineral stockpiling, with some European governments reportedly favoring national control over reserves rather than a single shared stockpile.

Brownstein’s International and Critical Minerals teams bring deep experience in the critical minerals space and work closely with the agencies involved in advancing U.S. financing, trade and diplomatic engagement on critical minerals. We coordinate with private industry, investors and foreign governments to support supply chain security, navigate U.S. financing tools and identify opportunities for public-private partnerships. Our team also has extensive experience connecting private industry leaders with U.S. government officials on issues related to supply chain security, global investment strategies, project financing, offtake structures and other issues impacting clients. We are prepared to assist clients in assessing project eligibility, coordinating with relevant agencies and developing strategies to secure federal support in a rapidly evolving investment environment. If you have any questions, please contact the authors of this alert.

THIS DOCUMENT IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE YOU WITH GENERAL INFORMATION REGARDING AN UPCOMING CRITICAL MINERALS FORUM. THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT ARE NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE SPECIFIC LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THIS DOCUMENT OR IF YOU NEED LEGAL ADVICE AS TO AN ISSUE, PLEASE CONTACT THE ATTORNEYS LISTED OR YOUR REGULAR BROWNSTEIN HYATT FARBER SCHRECK, LLP ATTORNEY. THIS COMMUNICATION MAY BE CONSIDERED ADVERTISING IN SOME JURISDICTIONS.