The European Union is betting on 47 strategic projects to reduce its dependence on raw materials from China

The European Commission announced on Monday the launch of 47 strategic projects spread across 13 member states, with the aim of ensuring access to critical raw materials essential for the green transition, the technology industry and defense.

This initiative, framed within the Critical Raw Materials Act, seeks to reduce dependence on third countries, especially China, which currently supplies 100% of the heavy rare earths consumed by the bloc.

The projects cover key materials such as lithium, vital for electric vehicle batteries, and tungsten, used in electronics and military equipment.

They also include elements such as boron, cobalt, copper, gallium, germanium and nickel.

By 2030, the European Union (EU) has set ambitious targets: to cover at least 10% of its needs for extraction, 40% for processing and 25% for recycling of the 17 strategic raw materials identified.

These initiatives will have priority access to EU funding and faster approval times: a maximum of 27 months for extraction projects and 15 months for processing or recycling projects.

For his part, the European Commissioner for Industry, Stéphane Séjourné, stressed the urgency of this strategy: "Europe is currently dependent on third countries for many of the raw materials it needs most. We must increase our own production, diversify external supply and create strategic reserves."

In addition, the legislation also states that no non-EU country may account for more than 65% of the supply of these materials, a significant challenge considering that, in addition to heavy rare earths from China, Turkey provides 98% of the boron consumed by the EU.

A response to geopolitical tensions

The Critical Raw Materials Act comes as an attempt to shield the European supply chain from growing geopolitical and trade tensions. Dependence on external partners, especially China, has become a vulnerable point for the bloc's economy, which needs these resources to manufacture green technologies, electronic products and armaments.

The diversification of suppliers and the boost to domestic production are presented as fundamental pillars to mitigate these risks.

In this context, the former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, a critic of the Trump Administration, drew attention to the limited European presence in the "lithium triangle" (hand in hand with Argentina, Boliviaand Chile), a region rich in this resource where Chinese companies have a strong influence.

An approach to Latin America

During the presentation of the I Compromiso Iberoamérica Award (1st Ibero-American Commitment Award) in Madrid, organized by the Secretaría General Iberoamericana (SEGIB), Borrell advocated for strengthening ties with Latin America, especially in the face of the distancing from the United States under the Donald Trump Administration.

"Now that Trump is telling us Europeans 'don't count on me,' maybe Europe has to put more emphasis on the others.... The others are, in particular, the Latin American countries," he said.

Challenges and opportunities for Europe

Borrell also warned of the challenges facing the EU, such as the loss of demographic and economic weight at the global level and the difficulty of articulating a common defense, especially if Washington distances itself definitively as a strategic ally.

However, the success of this initiative will depend on the bloc's ability to mobilize resources, streamline processes and forge international alliances to counteract the dominance of powers such as China in the raw materials market.