EU picks 46 new strategic raw-materials projects
Europe's second wave leans on recycling and refining, not new mines. That is the right gap to target, but the money still has to show up.
What happened
On 9 October the European Commission selected 46 new Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act, drawn from 102 applications. They sit in 16 member states and cover 15 of the 17 materials the EU classes as strategic.
By stage, 8 are extraction, 11 processing, 19 recycling, 3 integrated mine-and-process and 5 integrated process-and-recycle. Battery materials dominate: 12 nickel, 10 cobalt, 7 lithium, 5 manganese and 4 graphite projects, plus 4 rare-earth, 3 tungsten and 2 magnesium projects. Reuters reported the projects need about €21.1 billion in capital; the Commission says more than €2 billion in public support has been mobilised so far.
Together with the 60 projects picked in 2025, the Commission says the pipeline could fully meet the EU's 2030 processing benchmark for lithium and rare earths, and cover 89% for cobalt, 57% for tungsten and 51% for magnesium.
Our take
The mix is the story. More than two-thirds of the new projects are processing or recycling, which is exactly where Europe's dependence on China is deepest. A mine without a refinery just ships concentrate east.
But a label is not a cheque. Strategic status speeds permits and opens doors to lenders; it does not fund anything by itself. Of last year's projects, only 17 have construction permits. Developers warned in August that more would fail without faster money, and the €2 billion mobilised so far is a fraction of the €21 billion needed.
Why it matters for AI infrastructure
The list is mostly batteries and magnets, which feed the backup power, grid storage and cooling motors that data centers rely on. Rare-earth separation and magnet supply in Europe would ease one of the narrowest points in the chain. Gallium, germanium and copper, which matter most for chips and power delivery, are notably light in this round.
What we're watching
- How much of the roughly €21.1 billion is actually financed in the next 12 months
- Permitting progress: of the 2025 projects, 17 have construction permits so far
- Whether the end-2026 call adds gallium, germanium or copper processing
- Cobalt, tungsten and magnesium processing, where the pipeline still falls short of 2030 targets
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