Overview
- CooperAcción published its 'Diez tesis' on October 31, 2026, arguing the MAPE draft must be paired with changes to the General Mining Law to fix structural access barriers to concessions.
- The Executive’s proposal would create a new agency called Formape, offer a temporary consolidation for some Reinfo registrants and grant incentives such as reduced vigencia payments and limited penalty waivers to encourage concessionaires to sign exploitation contracts.
- CooperAcción and commentators say those measures do not change who controls the roughly 22 million hectares under concession or the long-standing rules that let concession holders block formal access to land used by artisanal and small-scale miners.
- With Reinfo set to expire on December 31, 2026, critics warn Congress faces a choice between approving a narrow MAPE that leaves core problems intact or extending the register without resolving territorial, environmental and criminal risks.
- Policy options under discussion include forcing processors to demand exploitation contracts, declaring small-mining concessions caducated after years of nonproduction, and strengthening territorial oversight to separate miners seeking legality from criminal networks, a shift that would directly affect thousands of workers seeking stable places to work.