Expanding global partnerships, strengthening supply chains: The union presented several initiatives this week.
Europe is heavily reliant on imports of critical raw materials from just a few countries. Reducing this dependency has been on the political agenda for years, with measures such as the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), introduced in 2024, aimed at addressing the issue.
One of its goals is to achieve greater diversification in domestic supply chains: by 2030, no more than 65% of a critical and strategic raw material should be sourced from a single third country. To facilitate the implementation of this target, the European Commission has launched a new initiative. The “Critical Raw Materials Facility” aims to improve access to resources like lithium, cobalt, nickel, and manganese by promoting international partnerships and projects.
EIT RawMaterials, a consortium focused on connecting industry and research, and InnoEnergy, Europe’s largest innovation ecosystem for sustainable energy, have been tasked with leading the facility. Experts from both organizations will identify and evaluate raw material projects in Africa, Latin America, Central and Southeast Asia, Southeast Europe, and Greenland. The collaboration is expected to benefit not only the European industry but also the partner countries and local communities.
Steel Production and the Military: Critical Raw Materials Are Unavoidable Here as Well
These plans are not the only ones the EU announced this week to strengthen its competitiveness and raw material autonomy. An action plan for the domestic steel and metal industry was also introduced. In addition to ensuring a secure and affordable energy supply for the sector, the plan includes building more robust supply chains for essential materials. Many steel alloying elements, such as aluminum, copper, and nickel, are critical raw materials and already benefit from CRMA rules, such as expedited approval processes for extraction, processing, and recycling, according to the statement.
Furthermore, the European Commission presented “ReArm Europe,” a plan to strengthen the union’s military capabilities in light of the threat from Russia. Since military technologies also rely on critical raw materials such as gallium, germanium, and rare earth elements, several measures to secure these resources are outlined in a 22-page whitepaper on European defense (PDF). For instance, EU institutions could support the establishment of strategic reserves for the industry.
Photo: dem10, irasutoya via Canva
