"Commission Receives High Number Of Applications Responding To...

"Commission Receives High Number Of Applications Responding To Call For Strategic Projects Under The Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA)

23 August 2024

The European Commission received 170 applications by the 22 August deadline for Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA).

This strong response reflects the private sector’s commitment to strengthening Europe’s supply of strategic raw materials. This robust engagement is crucial for enhancing the continent’s self-sufficiency in clean technologies, defence and aerospace applications.

The applications cover many of the strategic raw materials identified under the CRMA, including Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt and Graphite for batteries, as well as rare earth elements for permanent magnets. They span all the stages of the value chain with 77 applications focused on extraction, 58 on processing, 30 on recycling and five on substitution.

While most applications (121) are from within the EU a significant 49 were submitted from outside the EU. All received applications will now undergo a completeness check, followed by an assessment supported by external, independent experts. Based on these assessments, the Commission will prepare the draft list of the selected strategic projects for discussion with the EU countries during the CRM Board meeting. The goal is to finalise and deliver the first list of strategic projects before the end of this year.

The European Critical Raw Materials Act entered into force on 23 May 2024 and aims to ensure a diverse, secure, and sustainable supply of critical raw materials for the EU's industry. Secured access to critical raw materials is essential for strategic sectors including clean technologies, digital, defence and aerospace industries. This Act strengthens domestic capacities and consolidates the sustainability and circularity of critical raw material supply chains in the EU while continuing to pursue its diversification efforts."


Peter Handley: "The projects with the best chance of succeeding will be mature projects that can make a meaningful contribution towards the 2030 benchmarks for reducing the EU’s strategic dependencies and diversifying its imports of raw, refined and recycled materials."