For years, the European Union has couched its resource diplomacy in the language of the green energy transition — solar panels, wind turbines, and climate goals.
Brussels’ latest attempt to secure the critical raw materials needed for the EU’s future, an action plan dubbed REsourceEU, indicates a distinct shift in tone from previous language that has put clean energy and the green transition at the center of the bloc’s critical minerals strategy.
“The immediate focus is to boost the value chains for rare earths permanent magnets, battery raw materials and defence-related raw materials, given their strategic dimension for Europe’s competitiveness, transition and defence readiness objectives,” the plan states. The plan, adopted by the European Commission on Dec. 3, seeks to set up a European Critical Raw Materials Centre to collect market intelligence, decide on next moves, and develop financial tools early next year.