European Commission outlines plans for strategic raw materials - EXCLUSIVE

The European Commission takes note of the European Court of Auditors' report on critical raw materials for the energy transition. Boosting the EU’s critical raw materials policy efforts in line with industrial priorities is one of our top priorities and a guarantee of our strategic autonomy, said the European Commission Spokesperson in an exclusive interview with CE Report.

The report focuses on clean transition energy, which is just a part of our industrial needs on CRM and based their assessment on data, in majority collected before the implementation of the Critical Raw Material Acts, which is the core legislation of our policy on the matter.

"The points raised by the Court of Auditors during its assessment process have already been largely addressed in the context of the RESourceEU Action Plan in terms of the Commission’s ability to mobilise financial resources, to accelerate international cooperation, and transforms this cooperation into progress on the ground. The RESourceEU Action Plan accelerates implementation by mobilising operational and financial measures, in support of faster deployment of strategic projects," the spokesperson added.

The source in the European Commission reminded that it is a very young policy and a shared responsibility with the member states.

"We know that we still need to do more, in line with the report and that is why we are working on the establishment of a Critical Raw Material Centre, which will facilitate the implementation of the Critical Raw Materials Acts and ensure security supply with proactive monitoring of the situation on the ground," the spokesperson noted.

Progress is already visible and accelerating: security of supply is improving step-by-step as projects move from planning to delivery, with around 12 Strategic Projects already fully permitted and several securing financing and offtake, e.g. Vulcan Lithium (€250m EIB support plus an eight-year Glencore offtake), Keliber Lithium and CO₂Graphite (EIB-backed), Chvaletice Manganese (EBRD equity >17%), and Cinovec Lithium (Czech state aid up to €360m), while diversification and recycling measures add parallel resilience, said the source in the European Commission.

"Partnerships are translating into concrete outcomes: while MoUs are long-term frameworks that de-risk investment and improve governance rather than instant import guarantees, evidence already shows impact, EU-Canada cooperation has deepened value-chain integration, with post-CETA (2017–2023) EU imports of key CRMs rising (lithium +11%, graphite +33%, manganese +28%, rare earths +24%) and particularly strong growth in battery materials from Canada (cobalt +211%, nickel +40%, lithium +27%), as tracked in annual EU-Canada Bilateral Dialogue reports and the 2025 CETA evaluation case study," the spokesperson concluded.

Photo: Wikipedia

This interview was prepared by Julian Müller