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Released June 17, 2025 | GALWAY, IRELAND
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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The European Union's (EU's) drive to diversify its supplies of critical materials away from China and Russia has advanced with 13 strategic projects around the globe, including one in Greenland, being chosen for financial support.
The list revealed by the European Commission (EC) comes as China, which dominates the global processing industry for many critical minerals, has imposed export bans on rare earth magnets to the U.S. and Europe that are vital for car, plane, home appliance and wind turbine manufacturers. The bans have had a negative impact on a number of key industries, with some carmakers suspending production at a number of plants. Two of the 13 projects, in South Africa and Malawi, are for rare earths which play a key role in producing high-performance magnets. Seven are located in Canada, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Norway, Serbia, Ukraine, Zambia, with whom the EU has a strategic partnership on raw materials value chains. The remaining ones are located in Brazil, Madagascar, Malawi, New Caledonia, South Africa and the U.K. Ten of the projects will focus on raw materials essential for electric vehicles, batteries and battery storage, like lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite.
Speaking to reporters, Stéphane Séjourné, European Commissioner for Industry said: "We must reduce our dependencies on all countries, particularly on a number of countries like China. The export bans increase our will to diversify. Europe needs raw materials to succeed in our industrial and climate ambitions. The EU requires stable, secure and diversified supply chains. After the projects announced in the EU, today's list of 13 Strategic Projects across the world will help to reduce Europe's dependencies, contribute to our economic security while creating growth, jobs and export opportunities in the countries concerned."
Two of the projects, located in Greenland and Serbia, may prove contentious. The backing for the GreenRoc graphite mine and processing plant in Greenland comes amidst contentious statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to take the country by force in the interests of "national security" and for its rich and largely untapped rare earths and critical minerals resources. For additional information, see May 29, 2025, article - Greenland Open to China Minerals Deal if EU and U.S. Delay.
In Serbia, the issues surround the controversial US$2.4 billion lithium mining project in the Jadar Valley in the west of the country. Owned by Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO) (London, England), the government only returned a mining licence for the project last summer after a court ruling. It is the largest known high-quality, long-life lithium deposit in Europe, with the potential to meet up to 90% of Europe's demand. For additional information, see July 30, 2024, article--Europe Inks 'Historic' Deal For Lithium with Serbia.
Rio Tinto welcomed the seal of approval. "Rio Tinto welcomes the European Union's decision to designate the Jadar Project in Serbia as a strategic project under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), confirming its criticality to Serbia and Europe's security of supply of critical raw materials essential for the green transition. The Jadar Project is among the most promising and thoroughly researched lithium projects in Europe. With an estimated production of 58,000 tons of lithium carbonate annually Serbia has potential to become a key player in the electric vehicle supply chain."
The 13 new projects complement the initial list of 47 strategic projects announced by the EU in April, which marked the first time that the Commission had embarked on a wide-scale strategy to secure its own sources of strategic raw materials. The Critical Raw Materials Act from 2024 has set out a 2030 target that Europe must extract at least 10% of strategic raw materials, process at least 40% of them and recycle at least 25%. The first 47 projects are located in 13 EU Member States, and all cover one or more segments of the raw material value chain, with 25 in extraction activities, 24 in processing, 10 in recycling and two in substitution of raw materials. Lithium projects dominate the list with 22 projects, followed by nickel (12 projects), cobalt (10 projects), manganese (7 projects) and graphite (11 projects). For additional information, see April 07, 2025, article - Europe Fast-Tracking 47 Critical Minerals Projects.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
The list revealed by the European Commission (EC) comes as China, which dominates the global processing industry for many critical minerals, has imposed export bans on rare earth magnets to the U.S. and Europe that are vital for car, plane, home appliance and wind turbine manufacturers. The bans have had a negative impact on a number of key industries, with some carmakers suspending production at a number of plants. Two of the 13 projects, in South Africa and Malawi, are for rare earths which play a key role in producing high-performance magnets. Seven are located in Canada, Greenland, Kazakhstan, Norway, Serbia, Ukraine, Zambia, with whom the EU has a strategic partnership on raw materials value chains. The remaining ones are located in Brazil, Madagascar, Malawi, New Caledonia, South Africa and the U.K. Ten of the projects will focus on raw materials essential for electric vehicles, batteries and battery storage, like lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese and graphite.
Speaking to reporters, Stéphane Séjourné, European Commissioner for Industry said: "We must reduce our dependencies on all countries, particularly on a number of countries like China. The export bans increase our will to diversify. Europe needs raw materials to succeed in our industrial and climate ambitions. The EU requires stable, secure and diversified supply chains. After the projects announced in the EU, today's list of 13 Strategic Projects across the world will help to reduce Europe's dependencies, contribute to our economic security while creating growth, jobs and export opportunities in the countries concerned."
Two of the projects, located in Greenland and Serbia, may prove contentious. The backing for the GreenRoc graphite mine and processing plant in Greenland comes amidst contentious statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to take the country by force in the interests of "national security" and for its rich and largely untapped rare earths and critical minerals resources. For additional information, see May 29, 2025, article - Greenland Open to China Minerals Deal if EU and U.S. Delay.
In Serbia, the issues surround the controversial US$2.4 billion lithium mining project in the Jadar Valley in the west of the country. Owned by Rio Tinto (NYSE:RIO) (London, England), the government only returned a mining licence for the project last summer after a court ruling. It is the largest known high-quality, long-life lithium deposit in Europe, with the potential to meet up to 90% of Europe's demand. For additional information, see July 30, 2024, article--Europe Inks 'Historic' Deal For Lithium with Serbia.
Rio Tinto welcomed the seal of approval. "Rio Tinto welcomes the European Union's decision to designate the Jadar Project in Serbia as a strategic project under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), confirming its criticality to Serbia and Europe's security of supply of critical raw materials essential for the green transition. The Jadar Project is among the most promising and thoroughly researched lithium projects in Europe. With an estimated production of 58,000 tons of lithium carbonate annually Serbia has potential to become a key player in the electric vehicle supply chain."
The 13 new projects complement the initial list of 47 strategic projects announced by the EU in April, which marked the first time that the Commission had embarked on a wide-scale strategy to secure its own sources of strategic raw materials. The Critical Raw Materials Act from 2024 has set out a 2030 target that Europe must extract at least 10% of strategic raw materials, process at least 40% of them and recycle at least 25%. The first 47 projects are located in 13 EU Member States, and all cover one or more segments of the raw material value chain, with 25 in extraction activities, 24 in processing, 10 in recycling and two in substitution of raw materials. Lithium projects dominate the list with 22 projects, followed by nickel (12 projects), cobalt (10 projects), manganese (7 projects) and graphite (11 projects). For additional information, see April 07, 2025, article - Europe Fast-Tracking 47 Critical Minerals Projects.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking over 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 Trillion (USD).
