Issue Meeting the 2030 strategic autonomy benchmarks for critical raw materials and net-zero manufacturing

Summary

The Critical Raw Materials Act, proposed in 2023 and adopted in 2024, asks the EU to build capacity by 2030 to mine 10 percent, process 40 percent and recycle 25 percent of its annual demand for strategic raw materials. It also sets a diversification benchmark under which no single third country should supply more than 65 percent of annual demand at any processing stage. The Net-Zero Industry Act aims for EU manufacturing capacity in net-zero technologies equal to at least 40 percent of annual EU deployment needs by 2030. The European Court of Auditors reported in 2026 that diversification and growth in domestic production and recycling had not yet delivered sufficient results. Long and complex permitting, difficult financing and other legal, administrative and financial bottlenecks were holding back the targets, suggesting that reducing dependence on China will require long-term industrial and investment policy.