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Tag: European Commission

  • Europe’s Race for Lithium: An EIB Group Documentary on Strategic Raw Materials and the Clean Tech Era

    Europe’s Race for Lithium: An EIB Group Documentary on Strategic Raw Materials and the Clean Tech Era

    As the world pivots towards renewable energy and electric vehicles, one critical material has emerged as the linchpin of this transformation: lithium. This soft, silvery metal powers the batteries that drive electric cars, store renewable energy, and fuel the technologies of tomorrow. Yet Europe – the continent that ignited the green energy revolution – finds itself in an unexpected position: dangerously dependent on distant suppliers for a resource it urgently needs. The stakes are high, and Europe’s response could reshape global supply chains for decades to come.

    The Lithium Imperative: Why This Element Matters

    Clean technologies are revolutionising global economies. Solar panels harness the sun’s energy, wind turbines spin on hillsides, and electric vehicles replace combustion engines on roads worldwide. Behind each of these innovations lies lithium, the critical raw material that makes energy storage possible.

    The scale of Europe’s ambition is staggering. The continent has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050 – a target that requires unprecedented quantities of lithium. According to projections, Europe’s demand for lithium could increase more than 20-fold by mid-century compared to current levels. This surge in demand reflects the sheer volume of batteries needed for electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems, and grid stabilisation.

    However, this explosive growth in demand has created a crisis of supply. Global prices for lithium have become highly volatile, swinging wildly with market sentiment and geopolitical tensions. For Europe to achieve its climate goals, it must solve a fundamental challenge: how to secure access to lithium when other countries have already locked in their supply chains?

    Understanding Critical Raw Materials

    The concept of “critical raw materials” emerged gradually in European policy circles. In 2011, the European Commission adopted its first list of 14 materials and material groups that merited close monitoring. Every three years, regulators revisited this list as global circumstances shifted.

    The turning point came around 2019. Critical raw materials – once relegated to technical spreadsheets in Brussels – suddenly became a political priority of the highest order. The timing was significant: by 2020, lithium was added to the critical raw materials list just as Europe was launching its most ambitious climate initiative yet.

    Modern economies run on raw materials. But some resources are so essential to maintain and so risky to secure that their absence could cripple entire industries. These are the materials that now define strategic competition in the 21st century.

    The European Green Deal: Ambition Meets Reality

    The European Green Deal represented a transformative vision: to reconcile Europe’s economy with its planet. Launched with the promise of turning the transition to a climate-neutral economy into Europe’s “next engine of growth,” the initiative encompassed everything from renewable energy investments to algorithmic innovations.

    But the Green Deal revealed an uncomfortable truth: building clean technology at scale requires enormous quantities of raw materials. To power the continent’s clean energy future, Europe needs substantial amounts of lithium, copper, cobalt, and rare earth elements. The irony became starkly apparent – Europe, the champion of climate action, barely produces most of these materials itself.

    Lithium exemplifies this predicament. While Europe excels in many sectors, lithium mining and processing remain almost entirely absent from the continent. Currently, Europe accounts for less than 0.1% of global lithium mine production, making it almost entirely dependent on imports.

    The Global Lithium Landscape: Who Holds the Power?

    Understanding Europe’s vulnerability requires examining the global lithium supply chain. Three countries dominate upstream production, each controlling different segments of the market.

    Australia leads in hard rock mining, shipping most of the world’s spodumene concentrate – concentrated lithium extracted from mining ore. Chile dominates the production of lithium carbonate through massive evaporation ponds in the Atacama Desert, where vast salt flats are transformed into lithium repositories. And China, perhaps most significantly, controls approximately 70% of global battery-grade lithium hydroxide refining – the processed form essential for electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems.

    This concentration creates dangerous dependencies. When one country controls such a large portion of a critical supply chain, geopolitical risks multiply. Supply disruptions, trade disputes, or policy changes in any one nation can reverberate across the entire global economy.

    For years, Europe overlooked an obvious solution: its own lithium deposits. Deep beneath European soil lie resources that were long considered economically unviable or technically challenging to extract. But as competition for lithium intensified, Europe began reconsidering these deposits. New extraction methods and new mine projects – ones that experts believe could cut Europe’s lithium imports by half – suddenly moved from the margins to the centre of strategic planning.

    Project Lionheart: Europe’s Flagship Lithium Initiative

    In December 2025, Cris Moreno, Managing Director and CEO of Vulcan Energy, announced a historic moment for the continent: comprehensive financing to fully fund the construction of Project Lionheart. This facility represents more than just another mining project – it embodies Europe’s determination to reshape its relationship with critical raw materials.

    Located in Germany’s Palatinate region, Lionheart sits atop Europe’s largest lithium resource: a vast underground reservoir of lithium-rich, hot geothermal brine. The project’s brilliance lies not merely in the resource beneath the ground, but in how it extracts that resource.

    Innovation in Extraction

    The Lionheart process represents a significant leap forward in sustainable lithium production. Rather than simply pumping brine and abandoning it, Vulcan Energy operates an elegant closed-loop system:

    1. Geothermal Energy Extraction: Hot brine is pumped to the surface, and the thermal energy is harvested as a renewable energy product.
    2. Heat Distribution: This renewable heat feeds into local district heating grids, providing genuine utility beyond lithium extraction.
    3. Lithium Concentration: Only after energy extraction does the lithium separation process begin. The brine passes through extraction columns where lithium is concentrated into a 40% lithium chloride concentrate.
    4. Brine Reinjection: Crucially, the brine is re-injected into the reservoir, creating a closed-loop system with minimal waste.
    5. Final Processing: The lithium chloride concentrate travels to downstream facilities where green power converts it into battery-quality lithium hydroxide suitable for electric vehicle batteries.

    This process is revolutionary because it achieves dual benefits: generating renewable energy while extracting lithium, all with a minimal environmental footprint. When fully operational by 2028, Lionheart will produce 24,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium annually – enough to power approximately half a million electric vehicles per year.

    Europe’s Broader Resilience Strategy

    Project Lionheart represents one crucial piece of Europe’s larger strategic puzzle. The continent’s approach to critical raw materials extends far beyond a single project or even domestic extraction.

    Regional Cooperation

    The financing structure of Lionheart exemplifies European cooperation. Germany’s raw materials fund acted as a minority investor, attracting additional equity investors to the project. Simultaneously, the European Investment Bank provided a substantial debt portion, demonstrating how public and private capital can align around strategic objectives.

    Industrial Partnerships

    Companies like Umicore, a Belgian battery materials leader and one of Europe’s largest battery players, have become off-takers for Lionheart’s lithium. Umicore’s commitment reflects three compelling reasons for a European supply chain:

    1. Cost Competitiveness: Local sourcing reduces transportation costs and improves margin efficiency in the battery supply chain.
    2. Geopolitical Risk Reduction: Diversified, local supply chains insulate Europe from political disruptions in distant suppliers.
    3. Sustainable Sourcing: A European supply chain enables transparent oversight of environmental and labor standards, ensuring low-carbon, responsibly sourced lithium.

    International Partnerships

    Europe also recognizes that complete autonomy in raw materials is neither achievable nor necessary. Instead, the strategy emphasizes risk management through diversification. The European Investment Bank, for example, provides technical assistance to a lithium mining project in Namibia, creating secured supply chains for European manufacturers while supporting development in Africa.

    The Critical Raw Materials Act: Policy Framework for Action

    The turning point in European policy came with the Critical Raw Materials Act, which entered into force in 2024. Built on decades of analysis starting with the original 14-material list from 2011, this legislation translates strategic thinking into legal reality.

    The Act’s core principle is straightforward yet powerful: reduce dependency to build resilience and competitiveness. Specifically, the regulation states that Europe should not rely on any single supplier for more than 65% of any critical raw material.

    To operationalise this vision, the European Commission designated 47 strategic projects across the EU, with 18 specifically focused on lithium. These projects receive concrete benefits:

    • Accelerated Permitting: Regulatory timelines are compressed, allowing faster project development.
    • Improved Financing Access: Projects gain preferential access to European investment capital.
    • Comprehensive Scope: Initiatives span the entire value chain – extraction, processing, recycling and substitution technologies.

    Project Lionheart stands as one of these designated strategic projects, recognized as “the first green mine in Europe.” The European Commission has committed to ramping up support for critical raw materials to €2 billion annually, with additional funding rounds already underway.

    Impact on Europe’s Electric Vehicle Revolution

    The timing of Lionheart’s development aligns perfectly with Europe’s electric vehicle boom. In 2025 alone, close to 1.9 million fully electric cars were sold across the EU—a figure that reflects the continent’s genuine shift away from internal combustion engines.

    Each of these vehicles requires a battery, and each battery requires lithium. Without securing domestic or closely-partnered sources of lithium, Europe risks becoming a captive consumer, dependent on suppliers who may not prioritize European interests.

    By providing 24,000 tonnes of battery-grade lithium annually, Lionheart removes this vulnerability. The lithium produced can be woven directly into European battery supply chains, powering the next generation of electric vehicles manufactured in German, French and Swedish factories.

    Lessons in Strategic Resilience

    Europe’s approach to lithium offers important lessons in strategic thinking for the 21st century:

    First, diversification matters. Rather than seeking 100% autonomy – an impossible goal – Europe embraces multiple sources: domestic extraction, international partnerships and investments in processing capabilities.

    Second, policy must align with industrial realities. The Critical Raw Materials Act did not emerge from theoretical exercises; it reflected genuine business needs articulated by manufacturers and investors. Government policy created conditions that entrepreneurs could seize.

    Third, innovation becomes strategic. Lionheart’s success depends on novel extraction technologies that previous generations dismissed as uneconomical. As climate urgency mounts, what was once marginal becomes central.

    Fourth, finance follows frameworks. Once the European Commission established strategic designations and committed public capital, private investors followed. The project attracted equity investors, bank financing and international development partners because policy created certainty.

    Looking Forward: Momentum Building

    The momentum is undeniable. Projects are breaking ground across the continent. Financing deals are taking shape. The second call for critical raw materials projects has closed, with the pipeline full of new initiatives spanning extraction, processing, and recycling.

    Recycling deserves particular attention as an emerging opportunity. As electric vehicles reach end-of-life, their batteries represent not waste but resources. Recovering lithium, cobalt, and other materials from spent batteries can significantly reduce dependence on virgin extraction while creating new industrial capabilities within Europe.

    Conclusion: The Green Supply Chain Revolution

    The clean energy transition requires more than renewable power and efficient vehicles. It requires secure, sustainable supply chains for the materials that make this transition possible. For decades, Europe outsourced this responsibility, concentrating on technology and consumer markets while others controlled raw materials.

    The lithium story represents Europe’s course correction. Through Project Lionheart and initiatives like it, Europe is building a different future: one where clean technology and responsible sourcing go hand in hand, where geopolitical resilience aligns with climate commitments, and where a continent leads not just in environmental vision but in strategic execution.

    With €2 billion annually supporting critical raw materials development, with the first green mine in Europe approaching completion, and with companies like Umicore securing local supply for their batteries, Europe is gaining genuine momentum. The clean tech era will be built on critical raw materials, and increasingly, those materials will have a European origin.

    This is not just about lithium. It is about whether Europe can translate its climate ambitions into economic reality – and whether it can build the resilient, sustainable supply chains that future generations will depend upon.

    About This Documentary

    This article is based on a documentary-style video produced by the European Investment Bank Group (EIB Group) as part of a new series exploring the topics driving Europe’s biggest conversations. The EIB Group is actively supporting Europe’s transition to a competitive, resource-secure future through strategic investments in critical raw materials and clean technology infrastructure.

    To stay competitive globally and strengthen its tech leadership, Europe is investing in the resources needed for the technologies of tomorrow. Critical raw materials, especially lithium, are key to powering this transition. The documentary features interviews with key industry and policy leaders shaping Europe’s lithium strategy.

    Featured Contributors

    The video includes insights from industry and policy experts who are driving Europe’s critical raw materials agenda:

    • Cris Moreno, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Vulcan Energy, discussing the innovative geothermal extraction methods at Project Lionheart
    • Francis Wedin, Founder and Executive Chair of Vulcan Energy, sharing the strategic vision behind Europe’s first green lithium mine
    • Dr. Jan Klasen, Director of the KfW German Raw Materials Fund, explaining how public investment catalyses private sector participation in strategic projects
    • Stephan Jannis, Chief Operating Officer of Battery Cathode Materials at Umicore, detailing why European battery manufacturers are prioritising local lithium supply chains

    These contributions highlight the collaborative effort between private enterprises, government institutions and development banks working to secure Europe’s raw materials future.

    More episodes in this documentary series are available on the EIB Group’s YouTube channel, exploring additional topics central to Europe’s economic and environmental transformation.

  • NGOs Challenge EU ‘Strategic Project’ Status for Covas do Barroso Lithium Mine

    NGOs Challenge EU ‘Strategic Project’ Status for Covas do Barroso Lithium Mine

    Environmental organisations have launched legal proceedings against the European Commission before the Court of Justice of the European Union over Brussels’ decision to classify the proposed lithium mine in Covas do Barroso as a “strategic project” under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act.

    The action has been brought by the Association United in the Defence of Covas do Barroso (UDCB) and environmental law group ClientEarth. The groups argue that the Commission failed to properly assess the sustainability of the open-pit mining project, despite detailed submissions outlining environmental, social and safety concerns.

    According to the applicants, the Commission declined to revisit its designation even after evidence was presented highlighting risks related to water scarcity, biodiversity loss, impacts on protected species and the safety of planned tailings storage infrastructure. The NGOs contend that by limiting its review to identifying “manifest errors” in project applications, Brussels effectively sidestepped its broader obligations under EU environmental law and the Critical Raw Materials Regulation.

    In its earlier response, the Commission reportedly maintained that core environmental concerns fall primarily within national jurisdiction. The NGOs argue this interpretation weakens environmental safeguards and marginalises affected local communities, particularly in rural regions such as Covas do Barroso.

    By bringing the case to Luxembourg, the organisations are asking the Court to annul the Commission’s decision and clarify that projects labelled as “strategic” must demonstrably comply with sustainability standards and EU environmental principles.

    Opposition to the lithium project has persisted for more than eight years, with local residents and civic groups repeatedly challenging permitting decisions. The latest legal move marks a significant escalation in a long-running dispute over how Europe balances critical mineral supply ambitions with environmental protection and community rights.

  • EU Moves Toward Restricting Aluminum Scrap Exports Amid Supply and Decarbonization Concerns

    EU Moves Toward Restricting Aluminum Scrap Exports Amid Supply and Decarbonization Concerns

    BRUSSELS — The European Commission is preparing new measures to curb exports of aluminum scrap from the European Union in an effort to prevent domestic shortages of a key material needed for industrial decarbonization, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic announced on Tuesday.

    EU aluminum scrap exports reached a record 1.26 million metric tons in 2024, according to data from industry group European Aluminium—a nearly 50% increase over five years, with most shipments destined for Asian markets. European producers warn that rising exports risk depriving the bloc’s industry of essential recycled material at a time when aluminum recycling plays a critical role in reducing emissions.

    The situation has been exacerbated by U.S. trade policy. Under former President Donald Trump, the United States imposed a 50% tariff on aluminum imports but only a 15% tariff on aluminum scrap. This disparity boosted U.S. scrap imports and reduced its own exports, prompting Asian buyers to turn increasingly to European supply.

    The European Commission began monitoring scrap outflows in July and is now advancing “preparatory work” on a new export measure to address what Sefcovic described as “aluminum scrap leakage.” The proposal is expected to be finalized in spring 2026 and will aim to balance the interests of producers, recyclers, and downstream sectors.

    Recycled aluminum is central to Europe’s climate goals, requiring 95% less energy to produce compared with aluminum smelted from raw bauxite ore. However, recycling industry association EuRIC argues that export restrictions would not address the root cause of rising shipments, saying they stem from low domestic demand and limited EU capacity to process mixed scrap, including material from shredded vehicles.

  • Germany Expects EU Approval for €1.75 Billion Coal Exit Compensation to LEAG

    Germany Expects EU Approval for €1.75 Billion Coal Exit Compensation to LEAG

    The German government expects the European Commission to give the green light “within weeks” for €1.75 billion in compensation payments to LEAG, the lignite mining and power company operating in eastern Germany. The payments form part of Germany’s broader coal phase-out plan, which aims to end coal-fired power generation by 2038 at the latest, according to the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).

    The legislative changes needed to unlock the funds were recently approved by Germany’s coalition government. The compensation package, first agreed in 2020, had faced delays in Brussels due to differences over the timeline for the eastern German coal exit, which lags behind the 2030 phase-out already underway in western Germany.

    Under the revised plan, LEAG, owned by Czech energy group EPH, will receive €377 million to reimburse earlier payments into funds for recultivation of mining areas. From 2025 to 2029, the company is set to receive €91.5 million per year in additional payments from the federal budget to support environmental restoration and social transition measures.

    The compensation is part of Germany’s Coal Exit Law, which seeks to cushion the social and economic consequences of the energy transition for affected regions and workers. The government has said these payments will ensure “a fair and orderly exit from lignite power.”

    LEAG may also qualify for further compensation for so-called social costs — losses related to early plant closures or infrastructure decommissioning. These payments could extend until 2042, depending on determinations by the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) regarding lost profits or system reliability needs.

    Critics have questioned the scale of the compensation, arguing that it may cover profits companies would not have earned under normal market conditions. Environmental groups have also expressed frustration that the eastern coal phase-out remains slower than in western Germany.

    LEAG, which operates in Lusatia, continues to be a key regional employer and economic anchor in eastern Germany, where the coal exit is closely linked to the rollout of new gas-fired capacity to maintain energy security. Germany plans to tender up to 20 gigawatts of gas plants to support grid stability — a process delayed nearly two years and still pending EU approval.

  • EU Grants Poland Derogation to Keep Coal Plants Running Until 2028

    EU Grants Poland Derogation to Keep Coal Plants Running Until 2028

    The European Commission has granted Poland a derogation allowing the country to keep its coal-fired power plants operating within the EU’s capacity market until the end of 2028, providing a temporary reprieve for Europe’s last remaining coal producer.

    The decision enables the Polish government to extend financial support to coal units that exceed the EU’s emission cap of 550 grams of CO₂ per kilowatt-hour (kWh), a limit set under the EU Regulation 2019/943. The approval applies from 1 July 2025 through 31 December 2028 and covers both hard coal and lignite power plants.

    The move offers a lifeline to Poland’s coal sector, which still underpins much of the country’s power generation. While the EU is accelerating efforts to phase out fossil fuels in line with the Paris Agreement, Poland remains heavily reliant on coal for electricity and heating — a stance that has increasingly set it apart from other member states.

    Under the derogation, supplementary capacity auctions will be permitted if Poland’s main auctions fail to secure adequate generation capacity to meet the national reliability standard. These short-term contracts, limited to a maximum of one year (or six months for 2025), will be available to coal-fired units that exceed the CO₂ threshold.

    However, the European Commission’s approval comes with strict conditions. Poland must:

    • Update its National Resource Adequacy Assessment (NRAA) with a 10-year projection plan, analyzing plant closures, new constructions, and temporary shutdowns.

    • Conduct detailed modeling to accurately estimate future electricity exports and imports based on sound economic assumptions.

    • Demonstrate that maintenance and refurbishment schedules reflect actual operational plans and national conditions.

    The Commission emphasized that the derogation should not undermine the EU’s long-term decarbonization objectives and is intended as a transitional measure to maintain grid reliability during Poland’s energy transition.

    Poland’s dependence on coal remains significant, accounting for the vast majority of its power generation. Industry experts estimate the Polish state spends about €235,000 per hour subsidizing coal operations.

    Elsewhere in Europe, countries including Germany, the Czech Republic, and Slovenia have accelerated coal phase-outs, selling or shutting down key plants to meet EU divestment and climate targets.

    While global efforts continue to shift toward renewable energy, the Energy Information Agency recently reported that coal consumption could rise in several nations over the next decade due to slow renewable deployment and energy security concerns.

    For now, Poland stands as the EU’s last coal stronghold, facing growing pressure to align its energy system with Europe’s green transition.

  • EU Launches Second Call for Strategic Raw Materials Projects Under CRMA

    EU Launches Second Call for Strategic Raw Materials Projects Under CRMA

    The European Commission has announced the launch of its second call for strategic projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), aimed at securing a sustainable and resilient supply of critical raw materials essential for Europe’s green and digital transitions.

    Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, made the announcement today in Kiruna, Sweden. Building on the success of the first call, which selected 60 projects, the new call invites promoters to submit proposals before the cut-off date of 15 January 2026 at 12:00 CET. An online information session will take place on 9 October to guide interested applicants.

    To qualify, projects must meaningfully enhance the EU’s supply security, demonstrate technical feasibility, and ensure sustainable implementation. Selected projects will benefit from fast-tracked permitting, improved access to financing, and facilitated offtake agreements.

    “These projects show how the EU can boost domestic extraction, refining, processing, and recycling, while deepening partnerships with third countries,” Séjourné said. “This is another key step towards European sovereignty by reducing dependencies and strengthening our economic security.”

    The call covers all 17 critical raw materials designated as strategic under the CRMA, including lithium, rare earth elements, cobalt, nickel, and tungsten. The initiative underscores the EU’s commitment to diversifying supply chains and reducing reliance on dominant global suppliers.

  • Romania Seeks Five-Year Delay in Coal Phase-Out Amid Energy Transition Challenges

    Romania Seeks Five-Year Delay in Coal Phase-Out Amid Energy Transition Challenges

    Romania is negotiating with the European Commission to postpone its planned 2026 coal phase-out by at least five years, Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan said Tuesday, citing delays in replacement projects and risks to energy security.

    Under its EU-funded recovery aid package, Romania had pledged to retire 2.6 gigawatts of lignite and hard coal generation within the next year. However, Ivan told reporters that the timeline is “unrealistic,” as new gas-fired and renewable capacity will not be connected in time.

    State-owned lignite power producer CE Oltenia is working with OMV Petrom, Tinmar, and Alro Slatina to build solar parks and gas plants, but construction has lagged behind schedule. In central Romania, MAS Group Holding is also developing a 1.7 GW steam and gas power plant to replace older hard coal facilities.

    “Right now we are having fairly intense negotiations to postpone the deadline by at least five years, a realistic deadline for when we will connect new gas-fired energy units,” Ivan said. Romania has been requesting an extension since 2023 and plans to submit a study to Brussels outlining the negative economic and power market impacts of an early shutdown.

    Looking further ahead, Ivan said Romania expects to install 12.96 GW of new generation capacity by 2032 across gas, nuclear, wind, and solar projects, supported by EU funds and both public and private investment. This includes 2.25 GW of storage, which would transform the country from a net electricity importer to an exporter.

    A major offshore gas development, due online in 2027, is also set to make Romania a net gas exporter. The country already produces about 90% of its gas needs through Romgaz, OMV Petrom, and Black Sea Oil & Gas (BSOG).

  • Lithium Producers Urge EU to Rethink Hazard Classification, Warn of Strategic Setback

    Lithium Producers Urge EU to Rethink Hazard Classification, Warn of Strategic Setback

    A coalition of 13 lithium producers behind key Strategic Projects under the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) has issued a joint letter to the European Commission, warning that the proposed classification of lithium salts as Category 1A reproductive toxins could undermine Europe’s climate and industrial ambitions.

    The group, which includes developers of some of the continent’s most advanced lithium initiatives, expressed deep concern that the move by the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) conflicts directly with the bloc’s Green Deal, net-zero goals, and push for strategic autonomy.

    According to the letter, the reclassification would shake investor confidence, delay CRMA-aligned projects, weaken Europe’s position in the global battery value chain, and create contradictory policy signals.

    They call on the Commission to ensure that regulatory decisions remain science-based, proportionate to real risk, and do not threaten Europe’s strategic aims. The producers argue that a supportive regulatory framework is critical to delivering both the green and digital transitions.

  • EU Defends $750bn US Energy Deal Amid Climate Neutrality Criticism

    EU Defends $750bn US Energy Deal Amid Climate Neutrality Criticism

    The European Commission has defended its recent commitment to purchase $750 billion worth of US energy over the next three years, asserting that the deal remains in line with the EU’s decarbonisation goals and does not undermine its climate ambitions. The agreement includes increased imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), oil, and nuclear energy from the United States, aiming to accelerate Europe’s break from Russian energy dependence.

    “The deal is fully compatible with our medium and long-term policy to diversify our energy sources and implement the REPowerEU roadmap,” an EU official stated on Thursday. The Commission reaffirmed its pledge to phase out Russian energy imports “as soon as possible” and reach climate neutrality by 2050.

    The announcement came in response to mounting criticism from environmental groups, particularly the European Environment Bureau (EEB), which described the deal as “fundamentally incompatible” with the bloc’s 2030 climate targets. The EC had recently proposed a draft target to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by 90% from 1990 levels by 2040.

    Critics argue that current US energy exports to the EU, valued between $90–100 billion annually, would need to more than double to meet the $750 billion commitment. Luke Haywood, head of climate and energy at the EEB, said such an increase contradicts the EU’s need to significantly reduce fossil fuel consumption in order to meet its climate targets.

    “Promising increased fuel imports from a shrinking pie is a very tall order,” Haywood noted. “The future of EU trade lies in renewables, electrification, flexibility, and efficiency — not in fossil fuels.”

    The Commission, however, urged stakeholders not to get “hung up by the numbers,” emphasizing the transitional nature of the deal and its compatibility with long-term climate strategy.

  • EU Commission Faces Criticism Over Secrecy in Critical Mining Approvals

    EU Commission Faces Criticism Over Secrecy in Critical Mining Approvals

    Four Members of the European Parliament from the Green/EFA group have accused the European Commission of bypassing transparency in its fast-track process for approving strategic critical raw material (CRM) mining projects. The MEPs say the Commission has refused to disclose impact assessments, kept expert identities confidential, and withheld the exact locations of several major projects—even those granted strategic status under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA).

    Despite multiple formal requests, the MEPs received only publicly available summaries, without access to details about projects such as Mina Doade in Spain, Barroso in Portugal, Sakatti in Finland, a lithium facility in France, and major overseas initiatives in Serbia and New Caledonia. A letter demanding transparency was sent to the Commission in May, followed by what the MEPs describe as a vague and insufficient reply.

    The European Commission has defended its actions, citing Article 46 of the CRMA, which permits the withholding of trade secrets and private information related to external experts. However, critics argue that this undermines the democratic oversight process and turns the CRM Board—tasked with overseeing implementation—into a powerless body.

    Across Europe, opposition to mining projects is intensifying. In France and Finland, local communities are pushing back against operations near protected areas, such as Natura 2000 sites. In Serbia, protests continue against the controversial Jadar lithium project. Environmental groups warn that accelerating mining approvals without reducing material demand or securing public consent risks serious ecological and social consequences.

    While the EU intensifies efforts to secure domestic sources of lithium, cobalt, and rare earths, concerns are growing that the drive for speed and supply security is coming at the cost of transparency and public trust.