France Pre-negotiates G7 Critical Minerals Deal to Lock in Binding Commitments

France is orchestrating G7 alignment on critical minerals before the June 15–17 Evian summit, aiming to arrive with near-final texts on supply-chain traceability and interoperable standards. Finance ministers met under Paris's presidency to establish investment frameworks and common protocols. This pre-summit consensus-building increases odds that leaders will endorse binding commitments rather than aspirational language—converting years of G7 talk into workable standards that multinationals can implement.