Damning EU report lays bare bloc’s ‘dangerous dependence’ on critical mineral imports

The Swedish state-owned mining company LKAB in Kiruna recently unearthed Europe's largest deposit of rare earth metals. Photograph: Jonas Ekstromer/EPA

The EU is struggling to free itself from dependence on China and countries in the global south for critical minerals and rare earths needed for everything from smartphones to wind turbines and military jets.

A damning report by the European Court of Auditors (ECA) in Luxembourg found that the bloc’s targets for 2030 were “out of reach” because of lack of progress in domestic production, refining and recycling.