67Received 12.05.2025. Revised 09.06.2025. Accepted 30.06.2025.
Acknowledgements. This article was prepared with the support of a grant from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation for major scientific projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development no. 075-15-2024-551 “Global and regional centers of power in the emerging world order”.
Abstract. The article attempts to assess the EU’s current positions in critical raw materials (CRM) sector. The analysis of the formed mechanism of CRM’s supply has shown that the EU follows long-standing approaches including the principles of variety, diversification, long-termism. The external trade is a key element in solving problems in the CRM’s area, where the EU faces increasing restrictions, dominance of main suppliers. The perspectives of the full mechanism’s implementation and its efficiency are uncertain. The main restrictive factors include the capabilities of the European resource base, needs for significant investments in conditions of time limits, high dependence in several types of CRM on the external no alternative supplier. The main risk for the European Union is its existing dependence on China, being a key supplier of certain types of CRM used, among other things, in sensitive sectors of the European economy. The EU’s current position doesn’t imply a radical change of it towards Chinese supplies of certain types of CRM in the near future that involves the continuation of a high dependence on China. The USA, Brazil, Turkey, etc. are other key exporters. Capabilities of individual countries in provision of the EU’s raw materials needs are assessed using the case study method. It is shown that the EU – Ukraine developing relations facilitate the CRM mutual cooperation. Ukraine exports significant volumes of manganese, titanium and others CRM to the EU, being its main market for CRM. The Ukrainian raw material and industrial potential is capable to cover part of the EU’s needs of CRM, including future ones, but it will run into problems of significant investments, geological exploration, the USA factor. Limits and capability of the EU member states in self-sufficiency of CRM are shown using the example of the Visegrad countries: raw material base, manufacturing capacities with the existing restrictions in investments, technologies, market actors.
Keywords: the EU, critical raw materials, regulation, resource dependence, Ukrainian potential, Visegrad countries
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