The European Commission has proposed new rules on imports of critical materials to lessen the bloc’s dependence on China.
‘Critical raw materials’, like cobalt, lithium, vanadium, and natural rubber, are used in strategically important sectors, such as the digital, aerospace, and defence industry.
As “shortages in the aftermath of the Covid-19 and the energy crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine” highlighted, the EU “heavily relies on imports, often from quasi-monopolistic” suppliers, the statement said.