Brussels has launched a significant initiative to secure its supply of critical raw materials by approving a list of 13 strategic projects to be executed in 11 third countries and two overseas territories.

This move aligns with the EU's objective of diversifying its imports of essential minerals, crucial for both its green and digital transitions.

The European Commission identifies 34 critical raw materials deemed of strategic interest, yet their supply is currently concentrated, with China providing all heavy rare earths and significant percentages of other minerals sourced from a limited number of countries.

This decision follows concerns over the EU's reliance on a narrow range of suppliers, as highlighted by the statistics that show 99% of boron imports come from Turkey, and South Africa supplies 71% of the platinum used in the EU. The approved projects aim to mitigate the risks associated with this dependency and enhance supply security for key materials such as cobalt, graphite, lithium, manganese, and nickel, along with boron, copper, tungsten, and certain rare earth elements.

Stéphane Séjourné, the European Commission's Executive Vice-President for Industry, characterized this initiative as a pivotal step toward achieving greater independence in critical raw materials.

Séjourné emphasized the importance of diversification in imports, asserting that no single country should supply more than 75% of the EU's annual needs.

The new project list is expected to foster mutually beneficial partnerships between the EU and the involved third countries.

These strategic projects will be developed in various nations, including Brazil, Canada, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Malawi, Norway, the United Kingdom, Serbia, South Africa, Ukraine, and Zambia, alongside overseas territories like Greenland and New Caledonia.

This initiative marks the second phase of the EU's strategy to secure critical raw materials, following an earlier list of 47 domestic projects aimed at extraction, processing, recycling, and the substitution of these materials released in March.

During the announcement, UK Secretary of State for Trade Jonathan Reynolds noted the potential for deepening industrial cooperation between the UK and the EU, underlining their shared commitment to strategic raw materials.

Among the projects is a tungsten extraction initiative planned near Plymouth, England, where tungsten is essential for sectors including defense, medicine, and nuclear power.

The Ukrainian Minister of Natural Resources, Svitlana Hrynchuk, also participated in the discussions, highlighting a graphite mining project approved for the Inhuletske area in central Ukraine.

Hrynchuk pointed out the necessity for Europe to maintain reliable, long-term supplies of critical raw materials to safeguard its economic and geopolitical stability.

He emphasized existing cooperation with the EU and member states in the mining sector, and the ongoing commitment to implement EU regulations in Ukrainian legislation, particularly in mining activities.

Notably, Ukraine has recently established a significant agreement with the United States regarding critical raw materials, aiming to finance joint projects with EU member states using a newly introduced special investment fund.

This recent authorization marks the first list of non-EU strategic projects approved since the enactment of the Critical Raw Materials Act in May 2024. This regulatory framework outlines targets for extraction, processing, and recycling of critical materials set at 10%, 40%, and 25% respectively, to be achieved by 2030. The broader continental reindustrialization strategy proposed by President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to entail an initial investment of approximately €5.5 billion, sourced from the Commission, member states, and other financial institutions.