EU Shortlists Tungsten, Rare Earths and Gallium for First Joint Stockpile
EU's Strategic Move to Secure Critical Minerals
By Julia Payne and Pratima Desai
BRUSSELS, May 20 (Reuters) - The European Union has shortlisted tungsten, rare earths and gallium for its first joint stockpile of critical minerals aimed at reducing its reliance on China, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Storage and Logistics: Major Ports in Focus
The EU is also holding talks with major ports including Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the region's biggest, to store the minerals, one of the three sources and a fourth source told Reuters.
Reducing Reliance on China
The move marks one of the bloc's most concrete steps to insulate its economy from Beijing's production dominance in critical minerals--vital to defence, semiconductors and the energy transition--and often used as leverage in trade disputes with the West.
Global Response to China's Export Curbs
Western allies, including the United States, are racing to build their own stockpiles after Beijing's export curbs sent shocks through the global economy.
Minerals on the Priority List
Two of the sources said magnesium would be on the priority list, while one said germanium and graphite were expected to make the final mix.
NATO's Critical Elements
Most of the minerals under consideration, except magnesium, appear on NATO's list of 12 elements deemed critical to the defence industry.
Applications Beyond Defence
Industrial and Technological Uses
Beyond military hardware, the metals are essential to aircraft, cars, semiconductors in devices such as smartphones, and renewable energy infrastructure including wind turbines.
EU's Planning and International Collaboration
The European Commission announced the stockpile initiative in December. Ten EU countries are involved in the planning process in working groups led by Italy, France and Germany.
France's Role and Future Plans
France has made diversifying critical mineral supplies a priority of its G7 presidency, and the bloc is in parallel talks to set up a permanent secretariat so the work survives beyond rotating presidencies.
Official Responses
A spokesperson for the Port of Rotterdam did not immediately comment. A spokesperson for the European Commission declined to comment.
(Reporting by Julia Payne and Pratima DesaiEditing by Bernadette Baum)
