Industrial Policy & Trade Monitor· 2662 actions· ✨ 89 recent

Minister of Trade Regulation No. 5 of 2026, signed on 26 March 2026 and effective 1 April 2026, is the fourth amendment to Permendag 23/2023 on Export Policy and Regulation. It introduces three substantively significant changes: (i) restricts issuance of Export Approval (Persetujuan Ekspor / PE) for ilmenite and rutile concentrate to holders of IUP/IUPK Operasi Produksi mining permits — eliminating the prior Izin Usaha Industri (IUI) industrial pathway — extending Indonesia's hilirisasi vertical-integration doctrine to titanium feedstock; (ii) removes the Eksportir Terdaftar (ET) registered- exporter requirement for industrial tin exports, simplifying the export chain to PE + Laporan Surveyor (LS) only; (iii) mandates electronic and automatic issuance of PE where the integrated INATRADE/SINSW system documentation is complete, digitising the export-licensing chain. Additional changes tighten kratom ET validity to a three-year cap and reassign marine-species transport- document authority from the Ministry of Forestry to the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.

Pakistan's Directorate General of Customs Valuation (Karachi), acting under the Federal Board of Revenue, issued Valuation Ruling No. 2023/2025 on 5 November 2025 (C.No. Misc/12/2025-I/1073), fixing new minimum customs values under Section 25A of the Customs Act, 1969 for imported Zirconium Silicate (PCT 2530.9020): US$2.084/kg (C&F) for China, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam-origin shipments, and US$2.200/kg for Europe/USA-origin shipments. The ruling followed a finding that declared import values — as low as US$0.35/kg from China against a China/Europe international benchmark of US$1.70-1.82/kg for the constituent raw material (Zircon Sand) — were substantially below prevailing international market prices, and names China as the "global benchmark" origin used to set the floor.

Vietnam's 15th National Assembly adopted Law No. 54/2024/QH15 on Geology and Minerals on 29 November 2024 (446 of 448 votes), promulgated by Presidential Order on 20 December 2024 and effective 1 July 2025 (Articles 110.2 and 110.3 effective earlier on 15 January 2025). The law replaces the 2010 Mineral Law and introduces a four-group mineral classification, with Group I — covering metallic minerals (including rare earths), energy minerals, precious/semi-precious stones, and industrial minerals — placed under state-controlled licensing, national master-plan approval by the Prime Minister, and a "supply-the-domestic-industrial-ecosystem" priority that operates as a de-facto export curb on raw and minimally-processed strategic minerals. Vietnam holds the world's second-largest rare-earth reserves after China, making the new statute a foundational instrument for a state-controlled midstream gateway in non-China REE supply.

Austria's Federal Ministry of Finance published the Masterplan Rohstoffe 2030 on 8 October 2021 as the country's comprehensive national raw-materials strategy. The plan establishes a policy framework for securing Austria's primary and secondary mineral supply, aligning with EU Critical Raw Materials Act obligations, and promoting circular-economy principles to reduce supply-chain vulnerability. Annual Monitoringberichte (2024, 2025) track implementation progress against the plan's 2030 objectives across mining-permit frameworks, R&D priorities, and secondary-feedstock development.

Royal Decree No. M/140, dated 19 Shawwal 1441H (11 June 2020), promulgated Saudi Arabia's Mining Investment Law, replacing the 2004 Mining Investment Law (Royal Decree M/47). The law establishes a modern licensing framework under the Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources (MIM) and the Saudi Geological Survey (SGS), introduces five license categories (reconnaissance, exploration, exploitation, small-mine, building-materials quarry), permits 100% foreign ownership in mining, and sets out royalty and fiscal terms aligned with Vision 2030's goal of developing an estimated $1.3 trillion in identified mineral wealth. The law took effect on 1 January 2021 and serves as the statutory parent of every Saudi mining licensing round and strategic minerals initiative launched since that date.