Funding23 Mar 2025 09:48
The European Commission received 170 applications by the 22 August deadline for Strategic Projects under the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA).
This strong response reflects the private sector’s commitment to strengthening Europe’s supply of strategic raw materials. This robust engagement is crucial for enhancing the continent’s self-sufficiency in clean technologies, defence and aerospace applications.
The applications cover many of the strategic raw materials identified under the CRMA, including Lithium, Nickel, Cobalt and Graphite for batteries, as well as rare earth elements for permanent magnets. They span all the stages of the value chain with 77 applications focused on extraction, 58 on processing, 30 on recycling and five on substitution.
While most applications (121) are from within the EU a significant 49 were submitted from outside the EU. All received applications will now undergo a completeness check, followed by an assessment supported by external, independent experts. Based on these assessments, the Commission will prepare the draft list of the selected strategic projects for discussion with the EU countries during the CRM Board meeting