EIT RawMaterials highlights need for €4 billion investment in EU raw materials value chain

January 17, 2025

EIT RawMaterials, supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, has released a policy paper calling for an urgent investment commitment under the European Union’s upcoming Framework Programme 10 (FP10) to strengthen the region’s supply chain resilience for critical and strategic raw materials (CRMs and SRMs, respectively).

EIT RawMaterials is calling for a commitment of €4 billion under FP10 to deliver targeted, high-impact investments in research, innovation, and education across the raw materials value chain.

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“The crucial role of raw materials in Europe’s future has never been more apparent,” explained Bernd Schäfer, CEO, Managing Director, EIT RawMaterials. “The Draghi Report on European Competitiveness—which will form the foundation for the new European Commission’s flagship Competitiveness Compass—ranks raw materials as the second most critical issue for Europe, closely following energy security. This policy paper outlines a pathway to build a resilient and sustainable raw materials supply chain: essential for Europe’s competitiveness and industrial future. Framework Programme 10 presents a unique opportunity to unlock large-scale private sector investment, accelerating innovation and industrialisation.”

He added, “It is vital to build upon the investments made under the Horizon and Horizon Europe programmes over the past decade and the strong foundation of the raw materials knowledge and innovation community established as part of the EIT ecosystem.

With global demand for raw materials (particularly those critical to the energy transition) accelerating, the European Union faces a pressing need to diversify supply sources, enhance sustainable recycling and circularity, and reduce reliance on single-country suppliers to achieve its climate and digital goals.

In response to these challenges, the European Union adopted the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), setting ambitious targets including:

  • Expanding Europe’s domestic raw materials production to 10%
  • Increasing processing capacity to 40%
  • Recycling rates to 25% by 2030

Complex challenges

However, Europe’s raw materials sector faces complex challenges, primarily due to its heavy reliance on imports from international suppliers, which produce over 70% of raw materials for batteries and clean technologies. As global demand rises, ensuring sustainable and reliable supplies has become crucial to Europe’s strategic autonomy and industrial competitiveness.

Amid these challenges lies a transformative opportunity: a recent European Commission report highlights the potential for the raw materials sector to generate over €2 trillion in value and support 32 million jobs by 2030, underscoring the immense economic potential from strategic investment in this field.

The full paper is available here.

eitrawmaterials.eu

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