Overview
- The European Commission revealed 47 strategic projects on March 25, 2025, to extract, process, and recycle rare earths and strategic metals within the EU.
- The initiatives aim to secure at least 10% of extraction, 40% of processing, and 25% of recycling for 17 critical materials by 2030.
- Eight of the projects are located in France, including lithium extraction efforts in Allier and Alsace, essential for electric vehicle batteries.
- Streamlined authorization processes will cap approval times at 27 months for extraction and 15 months for processing and recycling projects.
- The EU is reviewing 46 applications from third countries for potential inclusion in its strategic raw materials plan, while environmental concerns over mining persist.