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Without lithium or rare earths, the EU's green plans risk failure, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) warned in a report published on Monday. Auditors describe renewable energy targets for 2030 as “unrealistic” due to critical dependence on China and lack of domestic extraction, according to The Guardian.
“It is therefore essential that the EU steps up its efforts and reduces its vulnerability in this area,” said Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, the ECA member responsible for the audit.
The report, which examines the EU's ability to meet its 42.5% renewable energy target in 2030, exposes a gap between rhetoric and reality.
In one of the harshest conclusions, the auditors note that not only is mining and exploration “underdeveloped” in the EU, but “even when new deposits are found, it can take 20 years for an EU mining project to become operational”.
“This makes it difficult to make any concrete contribution by the 2030 deadline,” the report said.
This warning comes as global leaders, such as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer or US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, accelerate international cooperation to reduce China's influence.
A supplier map shows a major dependence on the East, with China controlling most of the permanent magnets and essential minerals such as magnesium or gallium.
The European Court of Auditors points out that efforts to diversify imports have not yet yielded tangible results. Of the 26 main critical minerals, 10 are entirely imported, and recycling lags far behind.
Specifically, China supplies 97% of magnesium, 71% of gallium and controls up to 74% of the rare earths needed for permanent magnets, and data from 2024 shows that 17,000 of the 20,000 tonnes used by EU industry already come from China.
Dependence also extends to other countries, with Turkey providing 99% of boron for solar panels, while Chile is the main source of lithium for car batteries, according to the European Court of Auditors report.
“Many strategic projects will have difficulty securing the supply of essential raw materials until 2030,” the CCE said, noting that “the EU could be caught in a vicious circle.”
“Without essential raw materials, there will be no energy transition, competitiveness and strategic autonomy. Unfortunately, we are currently dangerously dependent on a handful of countries outside the EU for the supply of these materials,” said Pentus-Rosimannus.
The report comes as European Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné said Europe is “doomed to be just a playground for its competitors” if it does not develop “an ambitious, efficient and pragmatic industrial policy”.
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