From metals to minerals: building the right policy mix for EU's critical raw materials supply

Critical raw materials matter for a number of strategic industries, from green and digital tech to defense. The existing concentration of extraction and processing of many minerals exposes these industries to supply disruptions and countries to potential economic coercion. By boosting the demand for clean tech goods, the green transition creates a dual challenge: much larger amounts of raw materials need to be brought online; but this needs to be done without creating fragmented markets where supply is concentrated among geopolitically aligned countries.

At this event, the panelists discussed how to articulate industrial and trade policy to ensure the security of supply of critical raw materials and the resilience of supply chains. The key challenge will be to achieve international collaboration that promotes the development of deep markets for these commodities and avoids the pitfall of fragmentation.