Europe to boost rare Earth independence: EC's five-year plan
The European Commission aims to reduce dependence on the import of rare earth metals from China within five years.
The list that the European Commission will support consists of 47 strategic projects.
Lithium mines (a rare metal essential for battery production) are included in France, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Finland, and Spain. There are also facilities engaged in extracting other rare earth metals and companies involved in processing them for use in modern industry.
Import from China: The EC is preparing a change
The Commission plans to support facilities involved in recovering rare materials based on the recycling of faulty electronic devices or used batteries.
The Commission wants to support facilities involved in recovering rare materials by recycling faulty electronic devices or used batteries. Such centres, which obtain lithium and other valuable elements, operate in Spain, France, Sweden, and Poland.
Stéphane Séjourné, the EU Commissioner for Internal Market and Services responsible for the bloc's strategy on rare earth elements and other critical raw materials, emphasized the need for greater self-sufficiency, noting that the production of batteries depends on lithium and graphite, while semiconductors require germanium.
The strategy, set to be released by the European Commission on Tuesday, outlines a goal for Europe to boost the extraction of lithium and other key raw materials within the next five years, aiming for domestic sources to cover 10 percent of the region's demand.
