Overview
- The European Court of Auditors reports that EU efforts to diversify critical raw material imports and build domestic capacity have yet to yield tangible results.
- The Critical Raw Materials Act sets 2030 goals of 10% domestic extraction, 40% processing and 15% recycling, yet capacities at adoption stood at roughly 8%, 24% and 12%.
- Recycling remains negligible for many inputs and some processing plants are shutting down, with high energy costs weighing on competitiveness.
- The EU has signed 14 raw materials partnerships, including several in low‑governance countries, but imports from partner nations fell for about half the materials reviewed.
- The Commission’s RESourceEU plan proposes export restrictions on rare earth waste and €3 billion to fast‑track projects, EU ministers will discuss competitiveness in Cyprus this week, and the U.S. is set to launch a $12 billion minerals stockpile according to an administration official.