Brussels:The European Commission has unveiled the selection of 46 new strategic projects across 16 member states, aiming to enhance the supply of critical raw materials, diversify sources, and reduce reliance on external suppliers.
According to Emirates News Agency, these projects are in line with the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) targets for 2030. The CRMA aims to ensure that EU capacity meets at least 10 percent of annual consumption through extraction, 40 percent through processing, and 25 percent through recycling of strategic raw materials.
The newly announced projects include eight focused on extraction, 11 on processing, and 19 on recycling. Additionally, there are eight integrated projects, three of which combine extraction and processing, while five combine processing and recycling. These initiatives cover 15 of the 17 strategic raw materials listed under the CRMA.
The projects are designed to bolster European value chains in sectors such as batteries, defense and aerospace, and permanent magnets, focusing on materials like lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, and graphite.
From a total of 102 applications, the 46 projects were selected and will join 47 projects within the EU and 13 in non-EU countries that were previously selected in 2025. The Commission is also planning to initiate another round of applications for strategic projects in late 2026.