According to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, the objective is to ‘guarantee access to alternative sources of critical raw materials in the short, medium and long term for our European industries’
The president of the group stated this Saturday (25) that the bloc is working on a plan to reduce its dependence on rare earths from China, after announcing restrictions on the export of these minerals, essential for several industries. The (EU) warned that the new export controls imposed by — the world’s main producer of rare earths — forced some companies in the bloc to interrupt their production and caused economic damage.
“The objective is to guarantee access to alternative sources of critical raw materials in the short, medium and long term for our European industries”, declared the President of the Commission,.
Beijing has required licenses for certain exports since April, which has had ripple effects across manufacturing sectors worldwide. This month, it announced new controls on the export of technologies related to rare earths, used in the manufacture of magnets essential for the automotive, electronics and defense industries.
Von der Leyen added that one of the essential components of the EU plan is recycling. “Some companies can recycle up to 95% of critical raw materials and batteries,” he explained.
The bloc will also focus on “production and further processing of critical raw materials” and establishing “critical raw materials alliances with countries such as Ukraine, Australia, Canada, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Chile and Greenland,” he added.
*With information from AFP
Published by Nátaly Tenório
