Europe trails U.S. and China in critical mineral rush

Europe is late to the stockpiling game. While China builds walls around its metal supply and the U.S. throws down a $1 billion check, Brussels is still planning a consultation.

EU officials say the consultation will launch before the end of the year, aiming to decide what minerals to buy, how to fund it, and who holds the keys.

Meanwhile, Beijing just tightened its grip on rare earth exports, warning foreign firms not to stock up unless they want the tap shut off.

The European Commission said this week it will create a new “critical raw materials centre” next year to monitor, buy, and stockpile essential minerals. Ursula von der Leyen told lawmakers, “a crisis in the supply of critical raw materials is no longer a distant risk.”

But Europe has almost no control over its supply. It gets 80–90% of these minerals from China. That includes graphite, cobalt, gallium, and others used in wind turbines, missiles, fighter jets, and radars. The West’s trade war with China is heating up, and Europe is standing there without a helmet.

U.S. spends, China restricts, Europe waits

The U.S. launched a $1 billion critical mineral buying spree, prioritizing military stockpiles and clean energy. China, after two decades of building dominance, is going in the opposite direction, cutting supply and hoarding what it has.

Europe? Still talking. EU trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič had a call with China’s commerce minister Wang Wentao on Tuesday. The conversation focused on China’s new rare earth restrictions and how they’ll hit European companies.

Brussels has threatened trade measures but needs a majority of the 27 member states to act. And good luck getting that.

Albéric Mongrenier, executive director of the European Initiative for Energy Security, said Europe’s dependence on China makes a stockpile urgent. “A stockpile is a reserve that could help stabilize prices and reassure investors in the critical minerals sector,” he said.

Some countries aren’t waiting. Germany will invest €1 billion through its development bank KfW to cut ties with China. France has launched a €500 million equity fund to boost its local metals sector. The EU Commission also wants to use development aid more aggressively, linking it to mineral deals.

But critics say Europe risks deepening its reliance on China by buying more from the same supplier just to build a reserve. One mining executive said the first step should be to mine and process more at home.

But that’s not easy. Europe barely has any operational mines. Metals processing facilities? Even fewer. And building them takes years. Worse, some minerals like cobalt and graphite are needed in such small amounts for defense that mining them isn’t profitable. So even if the military needs them, no one’s lining up to dig.

Storage problems and slow planning drag momentum

Storing the stuff isn’t simple either. Paul Lusty from Fastmarkets said lithium hydroxide only lasts about six months in storage unless kept perfectly. Most traders don’t want the risk or the cost of sitting on metal.

Europe has oil reserves, but no mineral stockpiles. The U.S., meanwhile, stockpiles minerals with military uses, and NATO is considering taking on a bigger role in dual-use mineral security as defense spending rises.

Dutch envoy Allard Castelein admitted “changes are required.” The Netherlands is running a pilot program to map out which materials are used in its navy’s new frigates—from weapons systems to radar.

That data will help build national stockpiles so they can always say, “we have a fully operational frigate.” Castelein is also mapping the supply chain to figure out where the gaps are. Several EU officials say Japan’s model, which started in 1983, might be worth copying.

Castelein’s French counterpart Benjamin Gallezot said picking which minerals to focus on is tricky. “Some metals with a low criticality today could become critical in the next 20 years and some that are critical today we have solutions that will be implemented in a few years,” he said.

So far, Europe talks a lot, but still has empty shelves.

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