EU Adds 46 Strategic Projects to Boost Critical Mineral Supply

The European Commission announced a second wave of 46 projects designated as “strategic” for the extraction, processing and recycling of critical raw materials. The projects are spread across 16 EU member states—Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden. Spain’s contribution includes a copper mine led by Cobre San Rafael and a tungsten-processing plant operated by Abenjar Tungsten. The label is intended to accelerate permitting (27 months for mines, 15 months for processing and recycling) and to facilitate financing, though the Commission has not yet detailed any direct EU funding.

The EU adds two Spanish projects of critical minerals Politico Europe

The moves implement the EU’s Critical Raw Materials Act, which sets 2030 goals to extract at least 10 % of the bloc’s own needs, process 40 % and recycle 25 %. The act also caps reliance on any single non-EU supplier at 65 % of a material at any stage. The first list, released in March 2025, contained 47 EU-based projects and 13 projects in third countries; the new batch expands coverage to 15 of the 17 “strategic minerals,” including lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, graphite, rare earths, magnesium and tungsten.

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European Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy Stéphane Séjourné framed the rollout as a bid to restore European sovereignty over critical minerals. He noted that the 46 projects will require roughly €21.1 billion in investment and that, with the combined 2025 and 2026 selections, the EU could meet its extraction targets for lithium, nickel, rare earths, magnesium and tungsten, its processing targets for lithium and rare earths, and its recycling targets for lithium, cobalt and rare earths. Séjourné also highlighted the urgency created by recent Chinese export restrictions on rare earths, which are set to expire in January.

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• Projects announced: 46 (second wave).

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• Member states involved: 16.

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• Investment needed: ? €21.1 billion.

The EU adds two Spanish projects of critical minerals

• Applications received: 102 (according to the Spanish outlet) versus over 170 (according to the EU-focused outlet), indicating a discrepancy in reported figures.

The EU adds two Spanish projects of critical minerals

• Permitting deadlines: 27 months for extraction, 15 months for processing/recycling.

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“Exactly one year ago, we experienced firsthand why this matters. On Oct. 9, 2025, China announced new export restrictions on rare earths,” — Séjourné. Those

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