The regulation, which was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 3 May, aims to ensure a sustainable supply of critical raw materials in the EU. For this purpose, the law regulates the extraction, processing, and recycling of rare resources.
The Critical Raw Materials Act distinguishes between 34 critical (Annex II) and 17 strategic raw materials (Annex I), which are of special importance for the green and digital transition, aerospace and defense purposes.
The list of strategic raw materials from Annex I:
- bauxite/alumina/aluminium
- bismuth
- boron — metallurgy grade
- cobalt
- copper
- gallium
- germanium
- lithium — battery grade
- magnesium metal
- manganese — battery grade
- graphite — battery grade
- nickel — battery grade
- platinum group metals
- rare earth elements for permanent magnets (Nd, Pr, Tb, Dy, Gd, Sm, and Ce)
- silicon metal
- titanium metal
- tungsten
The regulation came into force on the twentieth day after publication in the Official Journal of the EU, on 23 May 2024.
