The European Commission has adopted its RESourceEU Action Plan, a sweeping package of policy, regulatory and financing measures aimed at reducing the bloc’s reliance on external suppliers of critical raw materials while strengthening Europe’s competitiveness across key industrial sectors. The plan builds on the recently enacted Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) and responds to escalating geopolitical tensions, supply risks and the growing need for stable access to materials essential for electric vehicles, aerospace, defence, industrial machinery, AI chips and data centres.
A central feature of RESourceEU is the acceleration of strategic projects through streamlined permitting, regulatory reform and new derisking instruments. The Commission indicated that these measures could halve Europe’s most significant supply dependencies by 2029. Up to €3 billion will be mobilised over the next 12 months to support projects capable of delivering new supply in the near term. Early beneficiaries include Vulcan Energy’s lithium-extraction project in Germany and Greenland Resources’ Malmbjerg molybdenum project, which EU officials say could supply all European defence-sector molybdenum needs while meeting a quarter of total EU demand.
Beginning in early 2026, Brussels will establish a European Critical Raw Materials Centre, responsible for providing market intelligence, coordinating financing across public and private partners, managing portfolios of strategic projects, and supporting joint purchasing and stockpiling to protect the EU market from supply shocks and political interference. A complementary Raw Materials Platform will aggregate industrial demand, help secure offtake agreements and facilitate collective procurement. A pilot EU-wide stockpiling mechanism is expected to be operational the same year.
The Commission will also push to expand the bloc’s recycling capabilities. From early 2026, export restrictions will apply to permanent-magnet scrap and waste, with similar measures for aluminium—and potentially copper—now under review. Amendments to the CRMA will introduce additional labelling requirements and incentives for using recycled pre-consumer magnet waste.
RESourceEU also includes measures to reduce Europe’s dependence on fertilisers derived from critical minerals, with an EU fertiliser and nutrient-recycling strategy due by mid-2026.
Internationally, the EU plans to intensify cooperation with its 15 existing strategic raw-material partners, the newest being South Africa. Negotiations with Brazil will begin shortly, while dedicated investment frameworks are being advanced with Ukraine, the Western Balkans and the Southern Neighbourhood. Through the Global Gateway initiative, the EU will co-invest in mining and processing projects across emerging markets, supported by broader coordination through the G7 Critical Minerals Production Alliance and the G20 Critical Minerals Framework.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen first outlined RESourceEU at the 2024 Berlin Global Dialogue, describing the initiative as essential to safeguarding the EU’s industrial base amid the “weaponisation” of critical raw materials by dominant suppliers.
Industry leaders have welcomed the plan, noting its long-awaited focus on early-stage financing, faster permitting and supply-chain diversification. Rock Tech Lithium CEO Mirco Wojnarowicz said the initiative sends “a clear signal from Brussels: Europe wants control over its raw-materials supply back – and now,” calling the Commission’s recognition of lithium’s strategic importance crucial for the bloc’s energy and digital future. He added that RESourceEU provides strong momentum for the company’s Guben lithium converter in Brandenburg, set to become Europe’s first commercial lithium-hydroxide refinery with a planned output of 24,000 t/y.
