EU Unveils 47 Priority Projects to Bolster Rare Earths Supply Chain
The European Union announces streamlined initiatives across 13 member states to reduce reliance on China and meet ambitious 2030 targets for critical raw materials.
- The European Commission revealed 47 strategic projects on March 25, 2025, to extract, process, and recycle rare earths and strategic metals within the EU.
- The initiatives aim to secure at least 10% of extraction, 40% of processing, and 25% of recycling for 17 critical materials by 2030.
- Eight of the projects are located in France, including lithium extraction efforts in Allier and Alsace, essential for electric vehicle batteries.
- Streamlined authorization processes will cap approval times at 27 months for extraction and 15 months for processing and recycling projects.
- The EU is reviewing 46 applications from third countries for potential inclusion in its strategic raw materials plan, while environmental concerns over mining persist.
L'Express 
Ouest-France 
L'Humanité 
Le Point 
Courrier International 
Sud Ouest 