The European Commission hosted in Brussels the 9th edition of Raw Materials Week from December 9 to 13, bringing together over 1,400 participants from industry, government, academia, and civil society. The event focused on implementing the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), strengthening international partnerships, and launching initiatives to address workforce skill gaps in the raw materials sector.
Discussions centered on the CRMA, effective since May 2024, which aims to secure a sustainable supply of critical raw materials for the EU. The Act sets targets to produce 10%, process 40%, and recycle 25% of the EU’s annual consumption of strategic raw materials by 2030. The CICERO projects addresses one of the CRMA benchmark’s: i.e., > 40% domestic processing/ refining.
The overall event hosted multiple workshops and meetings, to some of which the CICEOR project participated. The need of global cooperation was emphasized, with business sessions exploring investment opportunities in countries such as Canada, Australia, and South Africa.
Within the framework of the European Raw Materials week CICERO co-organised the clustering event “From mining to recycling. The R&I journey of battery raw materials in EU”.
Raw Materials Week 2024 underscored the EU’s commitment to securing a sustainable and resilient supply of critical raw materials. Through the implementation of the CRMA, and by investing in projects such as CICERO, the EU aims to position itself as a global leader in responsible raw materials sourcing and processing.
