In the fifty-sixth episode of EU to go, Thu Nguyen discusses with Arthur Leichthammer how critical raw materials have become a central geoeconomic and security issue for Europe – and what the EU can realistically do to reduce its strategic dependencies.
Critical raw materials are moving to the heart of Europe’s economic and security agenda. Rare earths, lithium, graphite, or nickel determine whether batteries can be produced, wind turbines can run, or defence systems can function. Yet Europe remains heavily dependent along nearly every step of the value chain – especially on China, which dominates key processing stages and technologies.
In this episode of EU to go, the podcast of the Jacques Delors Centre in Berlin, Thu Nguyen speaks with Arthur Leichthammer, Policy Fellow and expert on geoeconomics, about Europe’s growing vulnerability in the raw materials sector. The conversation takes off from recent Chinese export controls and the growing realisation that economic interdependence has become a geopolitical tool of power.
Together, they examine where Europe’s greatest weaknesses lie, why processing is the real bottleneck, and why the Critical Raw Materials Act has so far fallen short of its ambitions. A special focus lies on the EU’s new ReSourceEU initiative: can it move beyond target rhetoric to actual implementation? Will coordination and de-risking measures be enough to trigger investments in processing, recycling and resilient supply chains?
The episode also looks at the global race with the US and China, the role of Africa as a strategic partner, and the broader security implications for Europe’s defence sector. One thing is clear: Europe’s raw material dependency is no distant challenge – it is a pressing strategic concern.
You can find ‘EU to go – Der Podcast für Europapolitik’ on all popular podcast channels!