The US and the European Union are in talks to merge a core area of their efforts to engage suppliers of critical minerals in resource-rich nations, seeking to streamline their push against China’s dominance in materials key for future technologies
The aim is to combine the EU’s high-level policy approach with the US focus on specific projects, according to people familiar with the discussions
Specifically, the move would merge the EU’s critical raw materials club concept with the Biden administration’s flagship Minerals Security Partnership It comes after the EU delayed plans to launch its own program in Dubai last year at the COP 28 climate summit, said the people, who asked not to be identified describing internal policy discussions
The new initiative, known broadly as a “minerals security partnership forum,” would align outreach efforts to buyers in developed countries and resource-rich nations to cooperate on projects and policies, said the people
As part of their broader economic security strategies, Washington and Brussels are seeking to counter China’s domination of the supply chain for so-called critical minerals, a broad term that includes inputs for electrical vehicles and other green energy technologies
