The European Union (EU) will announce new projects next Tuesday in different European countries of strategic minerals for ecological transition and defense such as lithium, nickel and titanium in order to reduce dependence on powers such as China.
This was explained by the vice president of the European Commission for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, in a Meeting in Brussels With several Spanish media, within the framework of the beginning of the mandate of the new team of commissioners led by Ursula von der Leyen and the EU rearme plans for challenges such as the Ukraine War.
Although did not specify the number of projects Neither in which countries will be, Spain is one of the places with the most mineral variety in Europe with tin, nickel and rare earth deposits, among other strategic minerals, according to data from the European Commission.
Séjourné indicated that the projects announced on Tuesday will be the first from the approval in March 2024 of the European Law on Fundamental Raw Matters which seeks to increase EU’s ability to “extract, process and recycle” strategic raw materials and reduce the dependence of third countries.
“We need to guarantee EU access to strategic raw materials. We have identified 17 strategic raw materials For our green, digital transition, defense and space, for a majority of which we have a huge dependence on external supply, “said the French representative at the meeting this week.
Séjourné referred to materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, Used to produce batteries, the Gallium (solar panels), the gross boron (wind technologies) and the titanium and wolframio (spatial and defense sectors).
“Our goal is to have reservations that can cover, at least, the needs of the European industry for a period of one year,” said the vice president, who said that in the future new calls will be made.
Environmental dependence and controversy
According to the new fundamental raw materials law, the EU seeks that 10% of its annual needs of raw materials are covered with the extraction of minerals, 40% with transformation and 25% with recycling, according to the commission on its website.
The block too seeks to develop diversified value chains to guarantee supply chains, given the increase in demand and the concentration of certain raw materials in few countries.
So, 63% of the world cobalt is extracted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo97 % of the Magnesium supply to the EU comes from China, 100 % of the rare earths used in permanent magnets are refined in China and 98 % of the borayo supplied to the EU comes from Turkey.
Rare earths are not really “land”, but a set of 17 chemical elements that share many properties and they are usually together in nature. They are used on devices such as touch screens, solar panels and electric vehicles.
In Spain, the Opening or reopening of mining farms It is often involved in controversy by the opposition of neighborhood and environmental platforms.
The Spanish company Quantum He has been trying to extract rare earths such as the gray monacita in the field of Montiel (Ciudad Real) for several years, but has not achieved the necessary permits in fear of environmental impact.
Another promoter with difficulties is Extremadura New Energysubsidiary of the Australian Infinity Lithium, which tries to open an underground lithium exploitation in Valdeflórez, in the province of Cáceres, against the opinion of environmentalists.
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