The list, published as part of the EU critical raw materials from 2024, is a strategic step in the fight against the dependence of Europe from China, the currently the largest global producer of critical raw materials. Without adequate access to these materials, the European Union may have difficulties with the implementation of ambitious climatic and energy goals. Raw raw materials are necessary in the production of modern technologies, such as photovoltaic panels, wind turbines and advanced defense technologies.
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Recycling of strategic materials
The newly presented by the European Commission are to contribute to increasing the extraction, processing and recycling of strategic minerals. Include Key elements for the production of batteries for electric cars – lithium, cobalt, manganese or nickel – and ingredients of modern magnets used in wind turbines, such as Terb and Neodym. Among the goals of the project are the elements needed for the defensive industry, such as Wolfram or BOR.
– New projects will allow the European Union to maintain independence in the face of geopolitical and diplomatic crises in the future – emphasized the Commissioner for Competitiveness Stephane Sejourne during the Tuesday announcement of the list.
The European Commission estimated that the implementation of these projects requires investment outlays of the order EUR 5.5 billion. The proposed actions are dispersed on various continents – from Greenland and Canada, through Kazakhstan, Serbia and Norway, to Malawi, Brazil and Madagascar. The beneficiaries also included the Republic of South Africa, New Caledonia and Great Britain.
The announcement of a new list of projects is in the context of the exacerbating economic competition between the largest economic players in the world. In April 2023, China suspended the export of some minerals of rare lands, including magnets, in response to duties imposed by the US administration during the presidency of Donald Trump. This is a movement that further emphasized the EU sensitivity to interference in global supply chains.
Projects in Puławy and Zawiercie
The new EC list complements the projects already announced in the European Union. Earlier plans included Construction of a rare metal metal refinery in Puławy and a metal recovery plant in Zawiercie. Such actions are part of the ambitious assumptions of the EU act on critical raw materials, according to which By 2030, European mining, processing and recycling of key materials should satisfy at least 10, 40 and 25 percent respectively. Europe's demand.
Strategic goals, set by the Union, are of key importance for securing the industry of new technologies and the implementation of plans related to green order. The joint effort of the Member States and investments in the supply chain of critical raw materials can be a breakthrough in the fight for EU self -sufficiency in the face of changing geopolitical conditions.
