<h6><strong>Asier Martínez Jurio</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The European Commission adopted this Tuesday, for the first time, a list of 47 strategic projects aimed at strengthening the raw materials supply chain in the European Union. These projects, which include seven of Spanish origin, seek to improve the extraction, processing, and recycling capacity of essential resources within Europe, thus diversifying supply sources and reducing external dependence.</strong></h4> With this initiative, the EU aims to ensure access to key raw materials for the green and digital transition, as well as for strategic industries such as defense and aerospace. Among the projects selected in Spain are initiatives focused on key resources such as lithium and cobalt, essential for battery manufacturing, as well as the recycling of platinum group metals and tungsten. Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, stressed that “raw materials were the blind spot of our industrial policy, often complicated, expensive, and slow to produce.” This led Europe to rely heavily on imports of these materials from outside its borders. He also highlighted that events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have highlighted the vulnerability of this dependence. The adoption of these new projects is part of the implementation of the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), which aims to ensure that, by 2030, Europe will be able to meet 10% of the extraction, 40% of the processing, and 25% of the recycling of strategic raw materials at the European level. According to the Commission, these projects will not only help Europe meet the CRMA targets but will also drive the continent's green and digital transitions, supporting key sectors such as the defense and aerospace industries. In this context, Séjourné emphasized the need to avoid a new dependence, this time on raw materials rather than fossil fuels. “Chinese lithium will not become the Russian gas of tomorrow,” he noted. To prevent this risk, the European Commission considers it essential to adopt legislative measures, increase extraction and the opening of mines within Europe, and process more resources within its borders. He also stressed the importance of recycling, as it is a crucial link in the entire supply chain. <h5><strong>The projects</strong></h5> The 47 selected projects are distributed across thirteen EU Member States: Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Portugal, Poland, and Romania. These projects cover various segments of the raw materials value chain: 25 of them focus on extraction activities, 24 on processing, ten on recycling, and two on raw material substitution. In total, they address 14 of the 17 strategic raw materials, excluding bismuth, silicon, and titanium. Among the key materials, Sejourné highlighted lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, and graphite, essential for the manufacture of batteries and vital components in the automotive industry. A total investment of €22.5 billion is planned to bring these projects to fruition. Furthermore, the projects will receive coordinated support from the Commission, Member States, and financial institutions, particularly in areas such as financing and connecting with relevant buyers. They will also benefit from simplified permitting provisions, ensuring predictability for project promoters while maintaining environmental, social, and governance regulations. In line with the provisions of the CRMA, permitting processes for extraction projects will not exceed 27 months, while other projects must be completed within a maximum of 15 months. Currently, these processes can take between five and ten years. <h5><strong>Spain</strong></h5> In Spain, the selected projects are diverse in both their focus and the raw materials they address. Among them, the Aguablanca Project stands out, dedicated to the extraction of cobalt, platinum group metals, copper, and battery-grade nickel. Other projects, such as LAS NAVAS and MINA DOADE PROJECT, are focused on the extraction of battery-grade lithium, an essential material for the electric vehicle industry. Also included is the EL MOTO Mining Project, dedicated to the extraction of tungsten. Some projects have a recycling and processing focus, such as CirCular, which specializes in the recycling of copper and group metals.
