Strategic raw materials: Introduction
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 -- European Commission website
Please see the new EC Library Guide on critical raw materials
About the selection
This selection of books and articles are mainly from the EC Library’s e-collection, obtained through its search tool Find-eR.
Access may be restricted to Commission staff or to users at subscribing institutions.
Find-eR search terms:
- strategic raw materials
- raw materials strategic importance
- raw materials reuse recovery
- raw materials foresight
- raw materials autonomy European Union
Material types
eJournal article: Title links to the article reference in Find-eR with link/s to the full text article from one or more providers.
eBook, EU paper: Title links to the reference in Find-eR with link to the electronic book.
Article, Think Tank paper, etc.: Title links directly to the online version.
Introduction
Blog post
- Increasingly strategic raw materials – Blog of Commissioner Thierry Breton
June 2022: While demand is increasing dramatically due to the digital and green transition of our society - not to mention the rise in defence and security needs - we are too often almost entirely dependent on imports, while the geopolitics of supply chains are increasingly unstable and we are seeing a true global race to source and recycle critical raw materials.
Press release
- The White House: Securing a 'Made in America' Supply Chain for Critical Minerals
Fact sheet from February 2022 by the Biden-Harris Administration: Companies announce major investments to expand domestic critical minerals supply chain, breaking dependence on China and boosting sustainable practices.
Video
- Commodity Markets Outlook – April 2022: The Largest Commodity Shock Since the 1970s
World Bank Senior Economist Peter Nagle details key findings from the April 2022 edition of the Commodity Markets Outlook. The report finds that the world is experiencing the largest commodity shock since the 1970s, with the war in Ukraine having dealt a major shock that is altering global patterns of trade, production, and consumption. These changes are expected to keep prices at historically high levels through the end of 2024.
Press release
- RawMaterials Summit 2021 highlights the fundamental role of raw materials for Europe’s green and digital future
On 17 June, RawMaterials Summit 2021 gathered Europe’s foremost industry leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers and academics from across the raw materials value chain to showcase innovation enabling the EU Green Deal goal for a carbon-neutral future.
The summit was arranged by EIT RawMaterials. There are links to supporting material.
See also the website for the 4th EIT RawMaterials Summit held in Berlin from 23-25 May 2022.
Think Tank paper
- Métaux stratégiques : la clairvoyance chinoise
Tanguy Bonnet, Carl Grekou, Emmanuel Hache, Valérie Mignon, Le Centre d’études prospectives et d’informations internationales (CEPII), 2022, 4 pages + Excel file.
Indispensables aux technologies bas-carbone, les minerais et métaux stratégiques sont au cœur d'enjeux économiques et géopolitiques considérables. La Chine en a eu conscience avant les autres pays. Elle en est déjà grande productrice, elle multiplie les investissements directs à l'étranger et développe ses capacités de raffinage pour consolider sa position dominante. Face à cette stratégie, les économies occidentales prévoient de diversifier leurs approvisionnements, de réaliser des stocks stratégiques, de favoriser l’exploitation des ressources sur leur sol, de développer les politiques de recyclage et de renforcer leurs investissements à l’étranger. Autant de défis à relever, afin de réduire leur dépendance vis-à-vis de la Chine.
eJournal article
- Responsible Materials Management for a Resource-Efficient and Low-Carbon Society
By Lucia Mancini (EC, Joint Research Centre), Philip Nuss (German Environment Agency). In: Resources 2020, 9(6), 14 pages.
Our societies rely on the quality and availability of natural resources. Driven by population growth, economic development, and innovation, future demand for natural resources is expected to further increase in coming decades. Raw materials will be an important part of society’s future material mix as countries increasingly transition towards resource-efficient and greenhouse-gas neutral economies.