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European Commission also counts on Belgian projects for strategic raw materials

by AI | 25.Mar 2025 | Europe in brief AI

The European Commission has selected 47 strategic projects to strengthen the mining, processing, and recycling of important raw materials in the European Union. Among others, the Belgian company Umicore receives support for its germanium activities.

Vice President of the European Commission Stéphane Séjourné presents the projects at a press conference in Brussels

In the context of the European law on critical raw materials (Critical Raw Materials Act, CRMA), the Commission published for the first time a list of strategic projects that will enjoy European support for financing and the rapid completion of licensing procedures. They should give a strong boost to the production on European soil of raw materials that are crucial for the green and digital transition.

The list includes 47 projects in 13 member states that cover the different phases of the value chain, from extraction through processing to recycling and substitution. Projects around lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and graphite are important for the production of batteries and electric cars and therefore prominently present. “We will not replace our dependency on fossil fuels with dependency on these raw materials. Chinese lithium must not become the Russian gas of tomorrow,” said vice-president Stéphane Séjourné.

But there is also room for projects by Umicore around the processing (GePETO) and substitution (ReGAIN) of germanium, with which, among other things, fiber optic cables and infrared technology are made. The Belgian metal technology group is an important player, but this market is also dominated by China, which has implemented export restrictions since the summer of 2023. An Italian project by the chemical company Solvay around the recycling of platinum group metals is also included on the list.

The CRMA aims to ensure that European extraction, processing, and recycling of these raw materials can cover 10, 40, and 25 percent of the demand in the EU by 2030, respectively. The law further states that by the end of the decade, a maximum of 65 percent of the annual demand for each raw material may depend on supply from a specific third country, and this in all phases of the value chain.