EU’s bid for critical materials

Critical raw materials (CRMs) are essential in today’s rapidly growing clean energy technologies – from wind turbines and electricity networks to electric vehicles


2008: European Union’s “Raw materials initiative” established

2011: 14 CRMs listed

2014: 20 CRMs listed
  
2017: Third list includes 27 CRMs
  
2020: 30 CRMs listed
  
2023: Fifth list includes 34 CRMs


EU’s biggest suppliers of CRMs (Selected countries by source, %) 
Heavy rare earths 	China	100
Magnesium 		China	97
Niobium 		Brazil	92 
Beryllium 		U.S.	88
Light rare earths 	China	85
Lithium 		Chile	79
Antimony 		Turkey	74
Phosphorus 		China	74
Gallium 		China	71 
Platinum 		South Africa 71
Scandium 		China	67
Silicon 		China	66
Bismuth 		China	65
Fluorspar 		China	65
Vanadium 		China	62
Cobalt 			DR Congo 59
Hafnium 		France	49
Baryte 			China	45
	

Sources: Bloomberg, European Commission 
Picture: Peggy Greb, USDA 
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