Raw materials are crucial to Europe’s economy. They form a strong industrial base, producing a broad range of goods and applications used in everyday life and modern technologies. Reliable and unhindered access to certain raw materials is a growing concern within the EU and across the globe. To address this challenge, the European Commission has created a list of critical raw materials (CRMs) for the EU, which is subject to a regular review and update. CRMs combine raw materials of high importance to the EU economy and of high risk associated with their supply.

In March 2024, the Council adopted the European critical raw materials act, as demand for rare earths is expected to increase exponentially in the coming years. Critical raw materials (CRMs) are raw materials of high economic importance for the EU, with a high risk of supply disruption due to their concentration of sources and lack of good, affordable substitutes.

Europe aims to be the first climate-neutral continent by becoming a modern, resource-efficient economy.

The European Raw Materials Alliance aims to build resilience and strategic autonomy for Europe's rare earth and magnet value chains. It will identify barriers, opportunities and investment possibilities in the raw materials value chain, while also addressing sustainability and social impact.

Ensuring sufficient access to those materials, like rare earths, that are vital for manufacturing key technologies

Securing a sustainable supply of raw materials is a key priority for the EU. Raw materials, such as metals and minerals or forest-based materials, have become increasingly important to the EU's economy, growth, and competitiveness.

Raw materials are the basis of a large number of industrial value chains in the EU. Specific raw materials are needed to make a wide range of industrial goods such as car engines, mobile phones or wind turbines.

Only a fraction of the raw materials we need for Europe to be a global champion in sustainability are available at home. That means we’re extraordinarily dependent on resources coming from abroad, including from our rivals and adversaries.

The European Commission's (EC) Raw Materials Information System (RMIS) is developed by the Directorate-General (DG) Joint Research Centre (JRC) in cooperation with the DG for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (GROWTH). The RMIS is the Commission’s reference web-based knowledge platform on non-fuel, non-agricultural raw materials from primary and secondary sources.