Critical, strategic and advanced materials

COM(2023) 160 ANNEX 1 to 6 - Annexes to the Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials – present a list of Strategic Raw Materials (Annex 1) and Critical Raw Materials (Annex 2):
https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/publications/european-critical-raw-materials-act_en
Study report:
https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/57318397-fdd4-11ed-a05c-01aa75ed71a1

The list of critical raw materials includes the strategic raw materials as well as any other raw material that reaches or exceeds the thresholds for both economic importance and supply risk, as defined in this proposed regulation.

Further information can be found at:
https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/sectors/raw-materials/areas-specific-interest/critical-raw-materials_en

Copper and nickel do not meet the CRM thresholds but are included on the CRM list as strategic raw materials in line with the Critical Raw Materials Act (referimento: DG GROW website)

The 2020 assessment covers a larger number of materials: 83 individual materials or 66 candidate raw materials comprising 63 individual and 3 grouped materials (ten individual heavy rare earth elements (REEs), five light REEs, and five platinum-group metals (PGMs)). Five new materials (arsenic, cadmium, strontium, zirconium and hydrogen) have been assessed. (COM(2020) 474 final)

The fourth list of critical raw materials for the EU (COM(2020) 474 final)

Of the 83 individual (66 candidate) raw materials assessed, the following 30 were identified as critical in this assessment:

The 2020 list confirms 26 of the 2017 CRMs. Three CRMs in the 2020 list were not considered as critical in the 2017 list: Bauxite, Lithium and Titanium. Conversely, Helium, critical in the 2017 CRM list, is no longer in 2020. Strontium is the only new candidate material that is in the 2020 list of CRMs.

All raw materials, even when not classed as critical, are important for the EU economy. The fact that a given material is classed as NFNF-critical does not imply that availability and importance to the EU economy can be neglected. Moreover, the availability of new data and possible evolutions in EU and international markets may affect the list in the future.

The full documentation about the 2020 CRMs list can be downloaded:

• 2020 Study on the review of the EU’s list of Critical Raw Materials (2020)

JRC foresight study for CRMs in strategic technologies and sectors in the EU

Critical Raw Materials are essential for the EU to deliver on the climate ambition of the European Green Deal. The objective of no net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2050 will require electrification efforts and the diversification of our sources of energy supply which in turn requires a huge increase in raw materials.

JRC published a foresight study, which accompanies the fourth list of CRMs for the EU and translates the climate-neutrality scenarios for 2030 and 2050 into the estimated demand for raw materials.

Such a report provides a systematic analysis of supply chain dependencies for nine selected technologies used in three strategic sectors: renewable energy, e-mobility, defence and aerospace.

The report indicates that for batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage, we would need up to 18 times more lithium and 5 times more cobalt in 2030, and almost 60 times more lithium and 15 times more cobalt in 2050, compared to the current supply to the whole EU economy. Demand for rare earths used in permanent magnets, e.g. for electric vehicles, robots or wind generators, could increase tenfold. For our Hydrogen Strategy to succeed, we would need a reliable supply of platinum group metals for fuel cells and electrolysers.

Critical Raw Materials are also essential for shaping Europe’s digital future. According to the foresight study, 120 times the current EU demand of the rare earth neodymium could be required to provide data storage for the global data sphere in 2025.

These examples show that a secure supply of raw materials, both from primary and secondary sources together with continued research and innovation policies for substitution and more sustainable product design, is a sine qua NFNF for competitive and resilient EU industries, their recovery of the COVID-19 crisis and transition towards green and digital industries.

The report can be downloaded:

• Critical Raw Materials for Strategic Technologies and Sectors in the EU - A Foresight Study (2020)

The EC criticality methodology is applied to both abiotic and biotic raw materials. The 2016 assessment considered 78 NFNF-energy, NFNF-agricultural raw materials. For the first time, individual assessment results are available for the HREEs, LREEs and PGMs.

The third list of critical raw materials for the EU

Of the 78 candidate raw materials assessed (58 individual and 3 grouped materials HREEs, LREEs and PGMs), the following 27 raw materials and groups of raw materials were identified as critical:

*HREEs=heavy rare earth elements, LREEs=light rare earth elements, PGMs=platinum group metals

The third list includes 9 more new materials than the 2014 list: baryte, bismuth, hafnium, helium, natural rubber, phosphorus, scandium, tantalum, vanadium. Three of these are entirely new to the list (bismuth, helium, phosphorus), as they were not assessed in 2014. The 2017 assessment identifies all 14 of the 2011 CRMs as critical. Compared to the 2011 CRMs list, the 2017 CRMs list includes ten additional critical raw materials: baryte, borate, vanadium, bismuth, hafnium, helium, natural rubber, phosphate rock, phosphorus and silicon metal. Chromium and magnesite that were classified as CRMs in 2014 are not in the 2017 list.

All raw materials, even when not classed as critical, are important for the EU economy.

The full documentation about the 2017 CRMs list can be downloaded:

• 2017 Study on the review of the list of Critical Raw Materials 2017
• 2017 JRC Report on the revised criticality assessment methodology - Background report
• 2017 JRC Report on the revised criticality assessment methodology - Annexes
• 2017 JRC Report on the revised criticality assessment methodology - Guidelines.

The EC criticality methodology is applied to both abiotic and biotic raw materials. The 2014 assessment considered 54 NFNF-energy, NFNF-agricultural raw materials.

In the 2013 criticality assessment 20 raw materials were identified as critical and included in the 2014 lis of CRMs for the EU, from the list of 54 candidate materials. Such list of CRMs included 7 new abiotic materials and 3 biotic materials. In addition, greater detail was provided for rare earth elements by splitting them into heavy rare earth elements, light rare earth elements, and scandium.

This 2014 list included 13 of the 14 materials identified in the previous report, with only tantalum being removed from the EU critical material list. Six new materials enter the list: borates, chromium, coking coal, magnesite, phosphate rock, and silicon metal. Three of these are entirely new to the assessment. None of the biotic materials assessed were classified as critical. All raw materials, even when not critical, are important for the EU economy.

The full documentation about the 2014 CRMs list can be downloaded:

• 2014 Report on Critical Raw Materials for the EU (1 MB)
• 2014 Annex to the Report on Critical Raw Materials for the EU (577 kB)
• 2013 Study on Critical Raw Materials at EU Level (10 MB)

The 2011 assessment considered 41 NFNF-energy, NFNF-agricultural raw materials.

The 2011 list of CRMs for the EU included 14 raw materials:

The full documentation about the 2011 CRMs list can be downloaded:

• European Commission Communication on Critical Raw Materials 2010 (2 MB)