On Tuesday, the European Commission announced the selection of 47 strategic projects aimed at enhancing the capabilities of critical raw materials across Europe, with seven of these projects located in Spain, primarily in the regions of Extremadura and Andalusia.

These selected projects will benefit from expedited approval processes and favorable financing conditions as Brussels seeks to promote the extraction and processing of minerals such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, which are vital for electric vehicle batteries, renewable energy initiatives, and defense industries.

The EU's strategy reflects an urgent need to reduce its dependency on external suppliers, particularly China, for these critical materials.

The Vice President of the Commission for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, Stéphane Séjourné, emphasized that Europe currently relies on third countries for many necessary materials.

The EU aims to increase local production, diversify its external supply chains, and stockpile resources to enhance self-sufficiency.

The geopolitical landscape has shifted, particularly after the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States, placing additional pressure on global commodity markets.

The U.S. has expressed interest in rare earth element ventures in countries like Ukraine and Greenland to achieve autonomy from China, which controls 70% of the global supply of these materials.

Recent increases in production quotas by China have led to market saturation, reducing prices and benefitting its domestic supply chain, which spans extraction to manufacturing.

The focus is now on enhancing mining capabilities within Europe, as articulated by Séjourné, who stressed the importance of extracting more, opening additional mines, transforming materials, and increasing recycling efforts, framing these actions as both economic challenges and security imperatives.

The initial 47 identified strategic projects, which were among 170 proposals submitted under the Critical Raw Materials Act enacted less than a year ago, aim to secure a domestic supply of essential materials.

These projects mark what the Commission considers a significant milestone in Europe’s sovereignty as an industrial power.

The selected initiatives promise to improve access to 14 of the 17 critical raw materials identified by Brussels, including bauxite, cobalt, copper, lithium, nickel, and tungsten.

The legislation aims for the EU to ensure at least 10% of its annual consumption in extraction, 40% in processing, and 25% in recycling by 2030. Additionally, no more than 65% of annual consumption of each strategic material should depend on a single third country at all relevant stages of the value chain.

Among the seven selected Spanish projects, three are located in Extremadura.

Notable projects include the Aguablanca mine reopening, which focuses on nickel, copper, and cobalt, the sustainable lithium mining initiative by Lithium Iberia in Las Navas, Cáceres, and the reopening of an open-pit mine by Iberian Resources Spain in Almoharín, aimed at tungsten extraction.

Other projects include the Circular recycling initiative focusing on copper, nickel, and platinum group metals in Huelva, the Las Cruces copper extraction and processing mine in Seville, the Doade lithium mine in Galicia, and the El Moto tungsten mine in Ciudad Real.

Except for the Aguablanca project, which is a state reserve, the processing of the other Spanish projects falls under the jurisdiction of regional governments, which are responsible for mining and environmental assessments.

According to Commission sources, prior to finalizing the list, consultations were conducted with the Spanish government, which did not veto any of the selected projects.

The Spanish government will now coordinate with the regional authorities where these projects are proposed to ensure access to European funding.

The Ministry of Ecological Transition has indicated that its role will be to facilitate dialogue between Brussels and the regional governments and does not anticipate substantial opposition from local communities regarding the projects.

Brussels has emphasized that all selected projects not only contribute to the secure supply of necessary strategic raw materials for the EU but also adhere to European environmental, social, and governance criteria, proving technically viable.

Séjourné acknowledged that some of the chosen projects may face social pushback due to potential impacts on local communities involved in reopened or expanded mining operations.

He indicated that political efforts are essential to achieving social acceptance for these initiatives, which are integral to advancing the decarbonization of industry, noting that the promoted raw materials are essential for producing batteries for electric vehicles.

The 47 selected projects span across 13 EU member states, including Belgium, France, Italy, Germany, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Sweden, Finland, Portugal, Poland, and Romania.

These initiatives will benefit from streamlined approval processes, significantly reducing the average time required to obtain permits—from up to ten years to a maximum of 27 months for extraction and 15 months for processing or recycling projects.

This change aims to enhance predictability for project promoters, enabling them to better contribute to the EU's supply security.

The Commission also plans to offer financing assistance to make these initiatives more attractive, facilitating access to both public and private funding as needed.