EU Identifies 47 Strategic Projects on Rare Materials
They cover 47 European countries and should become operational in 15 to 27 months
The European Commission has identified 47 projects labeled “strategic” with the goal to strengthen the ability to secure raw material supplies.
The aim of these projects, which are part of the Critical Raw Material Act (CRMA), is to ensure that by 2030, 10% of the demand for extraction, 40% for processing, and 25% for recycling is met within the EU. “By helping Europe achieve these goals, the new strategic projects make a significant contribution to Europe’s green and digital transition, while supporting the defense and aerospace industries,” the Commission said in a statement.
These 47 new strategic projects affect 13 EU states: Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Estonia, Czechia, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Portugal, Poland, and Romania. Among them, 25 projects are related to extraction, 24 to processing, 10 to recycling, and 2 to raw material substitution. They cover 14 of the 17 strategic raw materials, including 22 projects related to lithium, 12 to nickel, 10 to cobalt, 7 to manganese, and 11 to graphite.
“Among our most strategic supply chains are raw materials,” commented Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy. “They are also necessary for the decarbonization of the continent. However, Europe is now dependent on third countries for many of the raw materials it needs most. We must increase our own production, diversify our external supplies, and build up inventories. Today, we have identified 47 new strategic projects that will help us guarantee domestic supply of raw materials for the first time. This is a historic moment for European sovereignty as an industrial power.”
In order to put these projects into operation, 22.5 billion euros will be allocated, and simplified procedures for authorization will be provided: whereas nowadays such processes take 5 to 10 years, in this case a maximum of 27 months is foreseen.
