Article in today's AFR titled Europe looks to cut dependence on Chinese commodities
The European Union has issued a plan to cut its dependence on Chinese supplies of rare earths, lithium batteries and solar-cell components, as it tries to build a green-energy economy that isn't largely made in Beijing.Brussels will bring industry, governments and NGOs into a "European Raw Materials Alliance", which will refashion the continent's supply chains for up to 30 critical products - including those used to make wind turbines, fuel cells, solar panels, magnets, drones and batteries for electric vehicles.Europe's anticipated shift to electric vehicles and green energy will fuel demand for rare earths.
Lithium appears on the EU's critical list for the first time, in a fillip for the clutch of Australian listed companies looking to mine and process it within Europe."We cannot afford to rely entirely on third countries - for some rare earths, even just one country," said the EU's Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, as he launched the Action Plan on Critical Raw Materials on Thursday (AEST)."By diversifying the supply from third countries and developing the EU's own capacity for extraction, processing, recycling, refining and separation of rare earths, we can become more resilient and sustainable."
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