Resource Partnerships for Greater Raw Material Security

The transformation of the European industry toward climate-neutral technologies is creating a variety of new resource needs. Current supply routes are prone to disruption and threatened by increasing scarcity. Through the instrument of Strategic Resource Partnerships, the EU aims to build alternative supply chains that meet European needs for greater supply security and higher environmental standards by cooperating with selected third countries. To counter the risk of long-term instability in partnerships, the EU needs to provide sustainable growth perspectives, especially to low-income partner countries. The partner portfolio should be managed by the EU holistically according to risk-return aspects, with a focus on the right degree of supply route redundancy. A prerequisite is permanent monitoring based on, among other things, an expanded system of risk indicators.