The 2020 EU Critical Raw Materials List

The European Commission has just published the 2020 EU Critical Raw Materials List. The Commission reviews the list of critical raw materials for the EU every three years screening 83 materials.

Economic importance and supply risk are the two main parameters used to determine criticality for the EU. Economic importance looks in detail at the allocation of raw materials to end-uses based on industrial applications. Supply risk looks at the country-level concentration of global production of primary raw materials and sourcing to the EU, the governance of supplier countries, including environmental aspects, the contribution of recycling (i.e. secondary raw materials), substitution, EU import reliance and trade restrictions in third countries.

The resulting list of critical raw materials provides a factual tool to support EU policy development. In 2020, the EU list contains 30 materials, including 4 new ones: Bauxite, lithium and titanium and strontium. Helium remains a concern as far as supply concentration is concerned, but is removed from the 2020 critical list due to a decline in its economic importance.

Biggest supplier countries of CRMs to the EU

More information on the list and their methodology can be found here.

Sources: 

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