Exactly one year after China imposed export restrictions on rare earths that threatened to disrupt European industrial chains—from automotive manufacturing to wind-turbine production—the European Union is moving to turn a temporary easing of tensions with Beijing into lasting supply security.
According to Kathimerini, the European Commission has selected 46 new strategic projects across 16 member states, three of them in Greece, as it accelerates efforts to curb dependence on China and other dominant suppliers of critical raw materials.
Commission Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné underscored the stakes: “The battle for industrial sovereignty and competitiveness depends on our resilience in critical raw materials.” He recalled that on 9 October 2025 China announced rare-earth export curbs. Although some measures have been suspended and dialogue with China continues, he said, “we must now turn this temporary respite into permanent security.”
The 46 projects, chosen from 102 applications, are expected to require €21.1 billion in capital. They comprise eight mining projects, 11 processing projects, 19 recycling projects and eight integrated projects that combine stages of the value chain. Together they cover 15 of the 17 strategic raw materials identified by the EU, with particular emphasis on lithium, nickel, cobalt and graphite for batteries, as well as magnesium, tungsten and rare earths essential for the defence and aerospace industries.
Kathimerini notes that, with this latest selection, the number of strategic projects inside the Union rises to 93, while another 13 have already been designated in third countries and overseas territories.
According to the Commission, the full set of investments could fully meet the EU’s 2030 extraction-capacity targets for lithium, nickel, rare earths, magnesium and tungsten, and its processing targets for lithium and rare earths.
These benchmarks stem from the Critical Raw Materials Act, which aims for the EU to extract at least 10 % of its annual consumption, process 40 % and recycle 25 % by the end of the decade, while limiting dependence on any single third country to no more than 65 % of processing needs for each strategic material.
Three new projects in Greece
The new list includes three Greek investments—two in recycling and one in mining. ElvalHalcor’s ETEOCLES project will develop a hub for recycling low-grade copper scrap, while the company’s New Aluminium Recycling Hub in Greece focuses on aluminium recycling.
The third is the Skouries mining project of Hellenic Gold (Hellas Gold), listed as a strategic copper-mining operation. Séjourné also singled out Greece’s Metlen, whose mine he has visited, noting that the company is already producing gallium “for the first time in Europe.”
The metal’s output is significant for Europe’s diversification efforts, given its use in advanced technologies and the Union’s heavy reliance on imports. “This is what our sovereignty policy means in practice,” he said.
European Centre and financing tools
Beyond project selection, the Commission is preparing a European Centre for Critical Raw Materials to serve as the operational arm of the strategy. The Centre will monitor international markets, guide investments, support strategic projects and connect producers with buyers.
Its planned functions also include organising joint European purchases of critical materials and building strategic stocks so the Union can respond more effectively to supply disruptions.
In parallel, the European Critical Raw Materials Company, previously announced by Ursula von der Leyen, is intended to mobilise public and private capital through grants, loans, guarantees and equity stakes, working with the European Investment Bank and member states.
Under the RESourceEU initiative, more than €2 billion in public financial support has already been mobilised. Of the projects selected in 2025, 25 have completed environmental-impact assessments and 17 have received construction permits.
The next challenge
Séjourné’s sharpest warning concerned economic viability. Securing financing and permits is not enough if European companies continue to buy cheaper materials from third countries.
“We can finance a mine. We can accelerate a permit. We can build a factory. But if no one buys what it produces, it will close,” he cautioned.
Several European projects face unfair competition, he said, with some market actors suppressing prices to prevent new competitors from emerging.
He called on European industry to share responsibility for diversification: “Buy European when a European alternative exists. And when that is not possible, diversify your purchases.”
The Commission is now urging legislative changes to the Critical Raw Materials Act and the Industrial Accelerator Act to encourage procurement of European products. It is also preparing a new diversification instrument by the end of the year and expects to announce additional strategic projects outside the EU shortly.
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Paul Antonopoulos
Paul Antonopoulos writes on Greek and international current affairs for Greek City Times, with a focus on Turkey, Cyprus, and the wider region.