Europe races to secure critical minerals as global supply tensions mount
[March 28, 2025] By
DEREK GATOPOULOS and LORNE COOK
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A top European Union official visited a strategic
metals site in central Greece on Thursday, after the bloc announced
plans to accelerate production of its own critical minerals and reduce
dependence on China.
Stéphane Séjourné, an executive vice president at the European
Commission, toured an aluminum plant that will soon extract gallium — a
silvery, melt-in-your-hand metal used in advanced semiconductors, 5G
antennas, solar panels and military radar systems.
The Greek venture is one of dozens of projects announced by Séjourné
this week, aimed at boosting the 27-nation bloc’s self-sufficiency in
key minerals as demand for high-tech materials surges and geopolitical
tensions rise.
“This site is one of the 47 strategic projects selected to increase our
production of critical raw materials and reduce our dependence on third
countries,” Séjourné wrote in an online post after the tour in Greece.
European officials say global supply-chain vulnerabilities have been
exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and more recently
by trade disputes — including export controls imposed by China last year
on high-tech materials.
Greece’s gallium project — the only one of its kind on the list — will
tap into domestic bauxite sources and integrate extraction with the
country’s existing aluminum infrastructure.
Once operational, the plant, operated by Greece’s Metlen Energy & Metals
company, is expected to produce up to 50 metric tons annually starting
in 2027 — enough to meet most of Europe’s projected demand, according to
EU and Greek officials.
“This is a significant investment of strategic importance — directly
linked to the autonomy and security of both Greece and the entire
European continent,” Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos said.

[to top of second column] |

EU Commissioner for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy Stephane
Sejourne talks to the media during a visit of the Thyssenkrupp
steelworks in Duisburg, Germany, after the EU Steel Action plan was
presented, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

EU funds will be part of a 22.5 billion euro ($24.2 billion) investment
into mining and processing schemes for 17 minerals listed as critical
across 13 EU member states.
The minerals are vital ingredients in sophisticated products, including
electric vehicles, battery parts, lightweight alloys for transport, and
medical devices.
At a presentation of the projects in Brussels earlier this week,
Séjourné said he hoped to build public support for domestic mining.
“I need to say this clearly: We do not want to replace our dependency on
fossil fuels with a dependency on critical raw materials,” he said.
“Chinese lithium must not become the Russian gas of tomorrow.”
The EU countries hosting the strategic projects are Belgium, Czech
Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Sweden. The materials covered include
aluminum, boron, cobalt, copper, gallium, germanium, graphite, lithium,
magnesium, manganese, nickel, platinum group metals, rare earth
elements, and tungsten.
___
Cook reported from Brussels.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |