EC selects 47 strategic projects to secure, diversify access to raw materials

The European Commission (EC) has adopted, for the first time, a list of 47 strategic projects, including from Romania, to boost domestic strategic raw material capacities, which will in turn strengthen the European raw materials value chain and diversify sources of supply, the EC reported on Tuesday.The new strategic projects mark an important milestone in the implementation of the Critical Raw Material Act (CRMA), which aims to ensure European extraction, processing and recycling of strategic raw materials meet 10%, 40% and 25% of EU's demand by 2030, respectively. By helping Europe meet these targets, the new strategic projects contribute significantly to Europe's green and digital transitions, while supporting Europe's defence industry and aerospace industries.The 47 new strategic projects are located across 13 EU member states: Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Estonia, Czechia, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Portugal, Poland and Romania. They cover one or more segments of the raw material value chain, with 25 projects comprising extraction activities, 24 processing, 10 recycling and 2 substitution of raw materials. The strategic projects cover 14 of the 17 strategic raw materials listed in the Critical Raw Materials Act. This includes several projects covering lithium (22 projects), nickel (12 projects), cobalt (ten projects), manganese (seven projects) and graphite (11 projects) which will particularly benefit the EU battery raw material value chain.These projects will ensure that the EU can fully meet its extraction, processing and recycling 2030 benchmarks for lithium and cobalt, while making substantial progress for graphite, nickel and manganese. Moreover, other strategic projects involving magnesium (one project) and tungsten (three projects) will contribute to the resilience of the EU's defence industry, which relies on the use of these materials.According to the EC, these projects were selected as they contribute to the EU's secure supply of strategic raw materials, adhere to environmental, social and governance criteria and are technically feasible. In addition, the selected projects have also demonstrated clear cross-border benefits for the EU.To become operational, the 47 strategic projects have an expected overall capital investment of EUR 22.5 billion. These projects will be able to benefit from coordinated support by the EC, member states and financial institutions to become operational, notably regarding access to finance and support to connect with relevant off-takers. They will also benefit from streamlined permitting provisions, to ensure predictability for project promoters while safeguarding environmental, social and governance standards. In line with the CRMA, the permit-granting process will not exceed 27 months for extraction projects and 15 months for other projects. Currently, permitting processes can last from five to 10 years.The Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) entered into force on May 23, 2024. The same day, the Commission published a call for submission of proposals for recognition of projects as Strategic Projects with a cut-off date on August 22, 2024. Applications considered complete were assessed by the EC with the support of external experts to check whether the projects meet relevant criteria under the CRMA. Based on this assessment, the EC identified a list of projects for the extraction, processing, recycling or substitution of strategic raw materials.The EC consulted the Critical Raw Materials Board, composed of member states the European Parliament as an observer, to discuss and adopt an opinion on the list of strategic projects on February 20, 2025 and on March 12, 2025. The EC alsso received applications for projects located in third countries. The decision on the potential selection of such projects will be adopted at a later stage. The EC will soon announce a new call for strategic project applications, currently planned for end of summer.