EU Unveils Critical Material Projects To Cut China Dependence

A kaolin quarry in Echassieres, central France, which could offer access to lithium deposits that lie beneath it (Credit: AFP)

The EU unveiled dozens of projects Tuesday to ramp up extraction of critical raw materials in Europe as the bloc seeks to reduce its over-reliance on China.

The Covid pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine exposed the European Union's reliance on foreign supply chains for the materials, forcing Brussels to confront the need for greater production in Europe to avoid future shocks.