EU Critical Raw Materials List
The European Union designates 34 raw materials as critical based on their economic importance to EU industry and the risk of supply disruption. These designations carry legal weight under the Critical Raw Materials Act and trigger specific policy measures to secure supply chains.
What Makes a Material "Critical" in the EU Framework
The European Commission defines a critical raw material as one that scores above established thresholds on both economic importance (EI) and supply risk (SR). Economic importance measures the material's contribution to EU value-added across all manufacturing sectors, weighted by the material's share of each sector's input costs. Supply risk assesses the likelihood and potential severity of supply disruption, considering factors such as geographic concentration of global production, governance quality in producing countries, trade restrictions, substitution potential, and recycling rates.
This dual-axis assessment means that a material must be both economically significant and supply-vulnerable to receive the critical designation. A material that is economically important but has diverse and stable supply sources would not qualify. Similarly, a material with a concentrated supply chain but limited economic relevance to EU industry would fall below the threshold. This approach ensures that policy attention and resources are focused on materials where the intersection of importance and vulnerability creates genuine risk.
The Complete List of 34 Critical Raw Materials
| Material | Key EU Applications | Primary Supply Risk |
|---|---|---|
| Antimony | Flame retardants, lead-acid batteries | China (48%) |
| Arsenic | Semiconductors, alloys | China (47%) |
| Barite | Oil and gas drilling, chemicals | China (33%) |
| Bauxite/Alumina | Aluminum production, refractories | Guinea (25%) |
| Beryllium | Aerospace, defense electronics | United States (65%) |
| Bismuth | Pharmaceuticals, alloys, cosmetics | China (65%) |
| Boron/Borate | Glass, ceramics, agriculture | Turkey (68%) |
| Cobalt | Batteries, superalloys, catalysts | DRC (63%) |
| Coking coal | Steelmaking | Australia (28%) |
| Copper | Electrical wiring, electronics, EVs | Chile (24%) |
| Feldspar | Glass, ceramics | Turkey (36%) |
| Fluorspar | Steelmaking, chemical production | China (56%) |
| Gallium | Semiconductors, LEDs, solar cells | China (94%) |
| Germanium | Fiber optics, infrared optics | China (60%) |
| Hafnium | Nuclear reactors, superalloys | France (43%) |
| Helium | MRI machines, semiconductor manufacturing | United States (40%) |
| Heavy rare earth elements | Magnets, electronics, defense | China (90%+) |
| Light rare earth elements | Magnets, catalysts, glass | China (85%) |
| Lithium | EV batteries, ceramics, glass | Australia (47%) |
| Magnesium | Lightweight alloys, steelmaking | China (87%) |
| Manganese | Steel production, batteries | South Africa (37%) |
| Natural graphite | Batteries, refractories, lubricants | China (65%) |
| Nickel | Stainless steel, batteries | Indonesia (49%) |
| Niobium | High-strength steel, superconductors | Brazil (92%) |
| Phosphate rock | Fertilizers, chemicals | China (40%) |
| Phosphorus | Fertilizers, flame retardants | China (58%) |
| Platinum group metals | Catalytic converters, fuel cells | South Africa (71%) |
| Scandium | Aluminum alloys, fuel cells | China (66%) |
| Silicon metal | Semiconductors, solar cells, alloys | China (67%) |
| Strontium | Pyrotechnics, ceramics, magnets | Spain (31%) |
| Tantalum | Capacitors, medical devices, alloys | DRC (33%) |
| Titanium metal | Aerospace, medical implants | China (57%) |
| Tungsten | Cutting tools, defense applications | China (82%) |
| Vanadium | Steel alloys, flow batteries | China (66%) |
Evolution of the EU Critical Raw Materials List
The EU critical raw materials list has grown significantly since its inception. The first list, published in 2011, contained 14 materials and was primarily a research exercise by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. The 2014 update expanded the list to 20 materials and began to inform trade policy discussions. The 2017 revision added nine materials to reach 27, reflecting growing concern about supply concentration in China and the DRC. The 2020 update brought the total to 30, adding lithium, bauxite, strontium, and titanium in recognition of their growing importance to the energy transition.
The 2024 list under the CRMA represents the most consequential update, expanding to 34 materials and, for the first time, giving the designations binding legal force. The addition of copper is particularly noteworthy. Although copper has diverse global production, the EU determined that projected demand growth from electrification, combined with declining ore grades and lengthy permitting timelines for new mines, creates a supply risk profile warranting critical designation. This decision has been influential, prompting other jurisdictions to reconsider their own treatment of copper.
Supply Chain Concentration Risks
The most striking feature of the EU critical raw materials list is the extent of supply concentration it reveals. China dominates the supply chain for 20 of the 34 listed materials, including near-monopoly positions in gallium (94%), heavy rare earths (90%+), magnesium (87%), and light rare earths (85%). This concentration creates systemic risk, as demonstrated by China's 2023 export restrictions on gallium and germanium and its 2024 restrictions on antimony, which sent immediate supply shocks through European industry.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo's dominant position in cobalt mining (63% of global production) raises additional concerns related to artisanal mining practices, human rights risks, and political instability. The EU's Battery Regulation, which entered into force alongside the CRMA, imposes due diligence requirements on cobalt supply chains that extend the regulatory framework beyond supply security into responsible sourcing.
Brazil's near-monopoly on niobium (92%), while involving a geopolitically stable nation, nevertheless represents a single-point-of-failure risk that the EU has flagged for diversification. Similar concerns apply to Turkey's dominance of borate production and South Africa's concentrated role in platinum group metal supply.
Implications for EU Industry and Trade
For European manufacturers, the critical raw materials designation triggers new compliance obligations and new opportunities. Large companies in sectors dependent on critical materials must conduct supply chain risk assessments and develop contingency plans. At the same time, projects that contribute to EU domestic capacity for critical materials can apply for "strategic project" designation, which provides access to streamlined permitting processes with maximum timelines of 27 months for extraction projects and 15 months for processing and recycling projects.
The CRMA also empowers the European Commission to negotiate Strategic Partnerships with resource-rich third countries, providing a framework for bilateral investment, technology transfer, and preferential trade terms. As of 2025, the EU has signed or is negotiating Strategic Partnerships with countries including Canada, Australia, Chile, Namibia, the DRC, Kazakhstan, and Argentina. These partnerships are directly informed by the critical raw materials list and prioritize materials where the EU faces the greatest supply vulnerabilities.