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Copper, lithium, cobalt and Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are among the 34 metals and minerals classified as critical by the European Union. The EU's aim for carbon neutrality by 2050, along with modern weaponry and the increasing digitalisation of daily life, hinges on technologies that require more metals than ever before, making these materials prized commodities. But while the EU already consumes approximately a quarter of the world’s raw materials, it produces only about 3% of them.
Critical Raw Materials In December 2023, the European Parliament adopted the Critical Raw Materials Act, which outlines targets for recycling, processing, trade, and crucially, domestic production.
By 2030, the EU wants to mine at least 10% of its annual consumption of critical raw materials. This objective seeks to enhance supply security and reduce dependence on foreign sources, such as China, which currently supplies almost all of the EU's REE needs.
Euronews travelled to Sweden, a mining powerhouse, to explore the implications of this target for the continent.
In G？llivare, Boliden operates the Aitik mine, Europe's largest copper mine. Klas Nilsson, the company's spokesperson, acknowledges the environmental impact but emphasizes Boliden's efforts to minimize it.
“Of course we have an impact on the environment. But should we build our entire climate transition on metals being produced in other continents?” says Nilsson, who argues for local production over imports from regions with lower labour and environmental standards.
But some locals like Katarina, who had to relocate due to mining expansion, express scepticism about the industry's environmental motives:
“They say that they have their mines for the sake of the climate. I call bullshit! They have their mines to make money. Nobody opens a mine to save the climate,” Katarina says.
Europe's last indigenous people
The region is also home to the Sámi, the EU's only indigenous people, who lament the fragmentation of their territory due to mining and industrial development.
Niila Inga, a reindeer herder, tells Euronews: “They need this iron or the copper, or whatever it is. So we have to move”
Regardless of the next EU elections’ results, metals will remain a priority for Europe, potentially heightening tensions between the need for energy transition and autonomy on the one hand, and local environmental concerns on the other.
Balancing these conflicting interests presents a challenge for Member states, as they navigate an uncertain shift from fossil fuel addiction to dependency on metals.
In conversation with Euronews' Brussels correspondent Shona Murray, Strack-Zimmermann outlined her thoughts on Europe's response to the war in Ukraine, Ursula von der Leyen record as head of the Commission and the future of Europe's green transition.
Liberals trailling in the polls
The German politician describes herself as a committed European. Faced with the rise of the far right in Europe, she believes it is more important than ever to defend liberal values.
"In these really tough times, it's not easy for people to look for a party that gives citizens the chance to decide for themselves," she argues. "Many people in Germany are looking for a very tough leader. For liberal thinking, and especially in hard times, you need free-thinking and to be responsible for your life."
Polls currently place the Renew Europe party in third position in voting intentions and predict record results for far-right parties, such as the AfD in Germany.
"You have to explain to people that it's not just voting for AfD. It's not just for fun. It's really a terrible moment because we know that AFD will come and will be a part of the European Parliament to cut everything. And the head of the AfD said in an interview in the Financial Times that, if she would be part of the European Parliament, she would support Germany leaving the European Union. I mean, she said it and I think it's very important that she did so; everybody realised that AfD is a national party, not a European party. And two weeks ago, we had a discussion in Germany about the D-mark (Deutsche mark) because they are looking for that again. Can you imagine?
Green Deal delayed by European bureaucracy?
For the Renew Europe candidate, the EU needs to lighten the burden of bureaucracy on business and innovation if the Union's climate goals are to be achieved.
"If you talk to companies in Germany, there are looking definitely for a green future. But again, the bureaucracy.... thousands of rules. Not one rule - a second one, third one, fourth one. For the economy it's a real problem. And again, if you want a successful Green Deal you need the companies have the possibilities to work with this.
"And there are so many rules and so many rules in detail. And this is really a problem. The thing is, if you are talking about the Green deal, it sounds very well. Everyone says come on with the Green Deal because it affects everything, and you just have rules, rules, rules. I think this would be a problem.
European support for Ukraine
At the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Marie-Agnes Zimmermann said she had the impression that Europe was more united than when Crimea was annexed in 2014. But two years on, she's no longer so confident.
"For example, Mrs. Von der Leyen she said months ago, one million ammunition, one million! And you know it sounds great, but it never reached Ukraine. And it's a question of time. It's a question if you say we will deliver it, we have to do it. And now we realise it's 400,000, 300,000; far away from 1 million."
In her opinion, if Ukraine loses this war, the consequences will be disastrous, not only in the European Union but throughout the world.
"For some countries, they feel that this situation is far away, but it's the problem, a huge problem for whole Europe. And we have to do more. I tell you, we have to do more. If Ukraine loses this war, then we will have huge problem not only in the European Union, even the whole world. And we have to see what happens in the United States in November."
She takes issue with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's recent stance on the subject of Taurus missiles, which she believes are indispensable to the Ukrainian war effort.
"His idea is to be the Chancellor of Peace. But everybody is a politician of peace. I mean, everybody wants to stop this war. But in a good way. And not that Russia will attack the whole Ukraine."
Ursula von der Leyen's track record
President of the European Commission since 2019, Ursula von der Leyen leaves a mixed record, according to the Renew candidate, particularly regarding the situation in Ukraine.
"I'm, absolutely disappointed because, you know, for six years -- a really a long time -- she was the Defence minister of Germany. And she knows what happens if you lose time. [...] I mean, we have always to remember the first attack and inaction over Crimea ten years ago. I have no idea why she didn't talk about military security when she started to be the, president of the commission because she knows this topic."
In relation to European values and human rights, the candidate did not expect the Commission under Von Der Leyen's leadership to release 10 billion euros in aid to Hungary as part of negotiations with Viktor Orban.
"It's a question that everybody was very irritated by, that she that she paid 10 billion, euros for Mr. Orban on the question of Ukraine. Everybody was really shocked about it. I mean, come on, you stop 50 billion and then you pay 10 billion for him to go out of the room. It's really unbelievable [...] I mean, she's responsible for it. And you could see that the Parliament is not amused about this situation."
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Recent statements by French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron about the war in Ukraine are “dangerous” and will deepen international tension around the conflict, the Kremlin’s spokesman said on Friday.
In an interview published on Thursday, Macron repeated an earlier comment that he doesn’t rule out sending troops to Ukraine.
Cameron, meanwhile, said during a visit to Kyiv the same day that Ukraine will be able to use British long-range weapons to strike targets inside Russia - a possibility that some other NATO countries providing weapons have balked at.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov branded Macron’s comment “a very important and very dangerous statement.” Remarks by Macron about possible direct French engagement in the conflict represent a “very dangerous trend,” he said.
Visitors look at a French-made AMX-10RC armored vehicle at an exhibition of Western military equipment captured from Kyiv forces, Moscow on Friday, May 3, 2024. Associated Press
Cameron’s statement about Ukraine’s right to use British weapons provided to strike facilities inside Russia is “another very dangerous statement,” Peskov told reporters.
“This is a direct escalation of tensions around the Ukrainian conflict, which potentially may threaten European security, the entire European security architecture,” Peskov added.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 significantly heightened tension between the Kremlin and NATO countries. The alliance countries have provided much of the military hardware that Kyiv is using to fight Russia, ensuring that the tension has continued to simmer. Russia, in turn, has sought help from China, Iran and North Korea, according to the US.
German FM says Russia will face consequences for cyberattack
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Russia will face consequences after accusing its military intelligence service of masterminding an “absolutely intolerable” cyberattack, as NATO and European Union member countries said they will not let Russia’s “malicious" behavior in cyberspace go unanswered.
Relations between Russia and Germany were already tense over German military support to Ukraine.
Baerbock said Russian state hackers were behind a cyberattack last year that targeted the Social Democrats, the leading party in the governing coalition. The German Interior Ministry added that German companies, including in the defense and aerospace sectors, as well as targets related to Russia’s war in Ukraine were a focus of the attacks.
The Council of the EU and the Czech Foreign Ministry said that Czechia's institutions have also been a target of a cyber campaign by the same group.
The ministry said APT28, which is associated with the Russian military intelligence service GRU, exploited a previously unknown vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook from 2023.
In a statement by Josep Borrell, the EU’s top diplomat said they “strongly condemn the malicious cyber campaign conducted by the Russia-controlled APT28 against Germany and Czechia.”
The EU noted that it had previously imposed sanctions on individuals and entities responsible for APT28 attacks targeting the German parliament in 2015. It said it will not tolerate the continuation of such attacks, particularly with EU elections upcoming in June.
NATO said that APT28 targeted “other national governmental entities, critical infrastructure operators and other entities across the Alliance," including in Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Sweden.
Ukraine urges West to speed up military aid deliveries
Ukraine’s president and foreign minister on Friday pressed British Foreign Secretary David Cameron to accelerate the delivery of promised military aid to Kyiv, as Russia heaps battlefield pressure on depleted Ukrainian forces in the third year of the war.
“It is important that the weapons included in the UK support package announced last week arrive as soon as possible,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on the social platform X, as Cameron visited Kyiv on Thursday.
He said armored vehicles, ammunition and missiles of various types were top of the list.
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Vital support pledged by Western allies to help Ukraine fend off the Kremlin’s forces has been delayed by political disagreements in the US and a lack of manufacturing capacity in Europe. That has opened a door to advances for the bigger and better-equipped Russian army, especially along the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine and its Western partners are in a race against the clock to deploy the new military aid, especially a fresh batch of US support, in the coming weeks and prevent Russia from taking more ground.
The pressing concern at the moment is keeping the strategic eastern hilltop city of Chasiv Yar out of Russian hands. Capturing the city would offer Russia the opportunity of attacking other key cities deeper inside the Donetsk region and hitting important Ukrainian supply lines.