EU selects 46 strategic critical raw materials projects — European Commission Press
In Brussels, Belgium, the European Commission selected 46 new strategic projects in 16 EU countries intended to strengthen critical raw material supply chains and diversify their sources. European Commission Press reported the decision on October 9.
The projects are located in Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden. They were selected from 102 applications submitted in the second selection round.
Extraction, processing and recycling
Eight projects concern raw material extraction, 11 concern processing, and another 19 concern recycling. In addition, the list includes eight integrated projects: three combine extraction and processing, while five combine processing and recycling. They cover 15 of the 17 strategic raw materials identified by the EU Critical Raw Materials Act.
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Among the selected initiatives are seven lithium projects, 12 nickel projects, 10 cobalt projects, five manganese projects and four graphite projects. They are linked to the European battery production chain. Two projects concern magnesium, three concern tungsten for the defence and aerospace industries, and four concern rare earth elements for the production of permanent magnets.
Targets for 2030
The new projects are expected to help achieve the EU's 2030 targets: to supply at least 10% of annual consumption of strategic raw materials through extraction in the European Union, 40% through processing and 25% through recycling. Together with the 47 strategic projects in the EU and 13 projects in third countries selected earlier, they could fully meet the established targets for the extraction of lithium, nickel, rare earth elements, magnesium and tungsten.
According to the European Commission, strategic projects selected in 2025 are already progressing toward launch: 25 of them have completed environmental impact assessments, and 17 have received construction permits. The European Commission also reported the mobilisation of more than €2 billion in financial support through the Innovation Fund, state aid and the European Investment Bank.
