A kaolin quarry in Echassieres, central France, which may supply entry to lithium deposits that lie beneath it.
The EU unveiled dozens of tasks Tuesday to ramp up extraction of important uncooked supplies in Europe because the bloc seeks to scale back its over-reliance on China.
The COVID pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine uncovered the European Union’s reliance on overseas provide chains for the supplies, forcing Brussels to confront the necessity for better manufacturing in Europe to keep away from future shocks.
“Chinese lithium cannot become tomorrow’s Russian gas,” warned EU business chief Stephane Sejourne.
When Moscow attacked Ukraine in 2022, the EU reduce vitality imports from Russia, resulting in spiraling vitality costs and sky-high inflation.
Heeding previous classes, Brussels is now scrambling to safe important minerals and uncommon earth parts, that are important for digital items comparable to batteries and wanted for the inexperienced transition.
The EU believes it should act quick as geopolitical tensions spike following the re-election of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“There is a sense of urgency that wasn’t there three or four months ago,” Sejourne instructed reporters in Brussels.
The European Fee revealed a listing of 47 “strategic projects” that embrace opening mines for lithium—wanted for electrical vehicles—and tungsten.
Unfold throughout 13 EU member states, they are going to profit from simpler entry to European Union financing in addition to less complicated and sooner allowing processes.
“Let’s be clear: we are obliged to open new mines in Europe,” Sejourne mentioned, including that the EU might be “wholly self-sufficient in lithium” inside 5 years.
Diversifying provides
The tasks are designated beneath the Crucial Uncooked Supplies Act (CRMA), a significant legislation the EU hopes will defend the inexperienced tech business and keep manufacturing in Europe.
It stipulates that by 2030, the EU should meet 10% of its extraction wants, 40% of its processing and 25% of its recycling wants for every materials.
The act additionally states that the bloc should not depend on anybody non-EU nation for greater than 65% of its strategic uncooked materials wants.
In response to EU information, China offers 100% of the bloc’s provide of heavy uncommon earth parts, and Turkey offers 98% of the EU’s provide of boron.
“There is no such thing as a decarbonization attainable with out gallium to construct solar panelswith out copper to move electrical energy. No protection business with out the rare earth elements which might be used within the composition of our radars, our sonars, our concentrating on techniques,” Sejourne mentioned.
The supplies are additionally very important for munitions because the EU seeks to ramp up protection spending.
The EU plan is made up of various parts: extracting, processing and recycling extra uncooked supplies in Europe; diversifying abroad suppliers; joint purchases to scale back prices; and increase strategic shares.
As much as two billion euros ($2.1 billion) in financing can be out there within the type of loans, ensures and grants, Sejourne mentioned.
Permits have to be granted inside 27 months for extraction tasks and 15 months for processing or recycling tasks, the fee mentioned.
The EU obtained 170 venture functions, 49 of that are outdoors the EU, together with in Greenland and Ukraine.
An additional raft of tasks outdoors the EU can be introduced within the coming weeks.
© 2025 AFP
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EU unveils important materials tasks to chop China dependence (2025, March 25)
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