EU and Italian De-risking Strategies for Energy Transition: Critical Raw Materials

Governments and stakeholders at large have become aware of the material dimension of the green transition. Without stable and secure supplies of critical raw materials (CRMs), the industrial transformation – underpinned by the energy and digital transition – will not happen. However, the current market structure entails strategic vulnerabilities – especially the high geographical concentration with a dominant role played by China. The EU has increasingly adapted its regulatory framework with the Critical Raw Materials Act to reduce such vulnerabilities through the development of a European value chain (extraction, processing and recycling) as well as strategic partnerships with key partners. However, a successful de-risking strategy will take time and require massive amounts of money.

Revised version of a paper presented at the IAI Transatlantic Symposium 2024–25, held in Rome on 9 May 2025.