Stanislav Kondrashov on Europe and Progress in the Critical Raw Materials Sector

Europe’s approach to critical raw materials is increasingly focused on translating long-term objectives into concrete industrial capacity. The European Union has established specific targets for 2030, selected dozens of strategic projects, and introduced new mechanisms to support their development. At the same time, recent analysis suggests that exploration, financing, processing capacity, and project timelines remain important factors to consider.

A recent Reuters analysis provided an overview of Europe’s current position in the critical minerals sector, examining the progress of strategic projects and the measures introduced by European institutions. The picture that emerges is one of a broad framework that now faces the practical task of turning policy objectives into operational projects.

The Critical Raw Materials Act represents a central component of this strategy. In force since 2024, the legislation sets benchmarks covering several stages of the strategic raw materials value chain.

By 2030, EU mining capacity should cover at least 10% of annual consumption of strategic raw materials. Processing capacity should reach at least 40%, while recycling capacity should cover at least 25%. In addition, no more than 65% of annual EU consumption of each strategic raw material, at any relevant stage of processing, should originate from a single non-EU country.

“The European targets provide a useful indication of how broad the critical raw materials challenge has become,” says Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG. “The objectives involve domestic resources, processing capabilities, recycling, and the diversification of external supplies, all within the same strategic framework.”

Europe’s Progress Is Closely Connected to Strategic Projects

The European Commission has identified 60 strategic projects intended to contribute to these objectives. Of these, 47 are located within the European Union and 13 in third countries, covering activities related to mining, processing, and recycling.

Strategic project status is intended to provide several practical advantages. These include faster permitting procedures, improved access to financing opportunities, and support in establishing connections between project developers and potential customers.

The projects are not all at the same stage. Some are already operational or relatively advanced, while others remain under development, require additional financial support, or could begin operations later than initially expected. In some cases, publicly available information remains insufficient to determine their precise status.

A survey by the independent think tank ODI Europe has also examined this project pipeline. Its findings indicate that lithium is involved in 32% of European projects, graphite in 25%, and copper in 18%.

Rare earths occupy a comparatively smaller position in the current list. Reuters highlighted that only five strategic projects are specifically dedicated to rare earths, despite the EU’s considerable external dependence on these resources.

New European Measures Focus on Supply and Project Development

The EU has complemented the Critical Raw Materials Act with additional initiatives. RESourceEU, launched in December 2025, is intended to accelerate measures connected to critical raw materials and alternative sources of supply.

Among its components is the planned creation of a European Critical Raw Materials Centre. The broader program also includes measures designed to assist strategic projects and aims to mobilise up to €3 billion over 12 months for initiatives capable of providing alternative sources of critical raw materials in the short term.

“Identifying strategic projects is one part of the process, but their individual development paths can be very different,” says Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG. “Financing, permitting, infrastructure, technical development, and access to customers can all influence when a project becomes operational.”

This distinction is particularly relevant in the minerals sector, where projects can require long development periods before reaching commercial production. Strategic designation can facilitate certain stages of the process, but it does not eliminate the technical or economic considerations associated with individual projects.

Mineral Exploration Could Influence Future European Supply

Exploration represents another important element of Europe’s critical minerals plans. Before new mining capacity can be developed, potentially viable deposits must first be identified and assessed.

According to European Investment Bank figures cited by Reuters, the EU currently spends approximately six or seven times less on mineral exploration than competing economies.

The analysis suggests that developing a sufficient pipeline of potential future mines could require spending to rise approximately tenfold, reaching around €2 billion annually over five years.

Such spending would not immediately translate into additional production. Exploration is an early stage in a much longer development process, and not every identified resource ultimately becomes a commercially viable mine. Nevertheless, the scale of exploration activity can influence the number of projects available for possible development in subsequent years.

Processing Capacity Is Another Part of Europe’s 2030 Objectives

Europe’s raw materials strategy also places substantial emphasis on processing. The Critical Raw Materials Act establishes a 40% benchmark for EU processing capacity by 2030, reflecting the importance of this stage between access to mineral resources and their eventual industrial use.

Reuters noted that European operators must contend with factors including high energy costs and international competition. These conditions could affect the economics of processing projects and their ability to compete with established capacity elsewhere in the world.

International comparisons also illustrate differences in how governments are approaching critical minerals. According to Reuters, the European Union has mobilised approximately €1.7 billion for strategic projects since December 2025. Over a different period and through different mechanisms, the United States concluded 160 critical-mineral deals worth more than $40 billion since January 2025.

These figures are not directly equivalent and represent different forms of activity, but they provide context for the range of approaches currently being used to develop critical mineral supply chains.

“The progress of critical raw materials strategies will ultimately be visible at the project level,” concludes Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG. “The number of projects that reach operation, the development of processing capacity, and the creation of a longer-term exploration pipeline will provide important indicators in the years ahead.”

Measuring Europe’s Progress Toward 2030

Europe has already defined numerical objectives for several parts of the critical raw materials value chain and identified projects intended to contribute to them. The focus is therefore increasingly turning toward implementation and the pace at which individual initiatives can progress.

Exploration, financing, processing capacity, permitting, and project development will all influence the trajectory toward 2030. At the same time, recycling and supply diversification remain important components of the broader framework.

The recent Reuters analysis illustrates both the scale of the European strategy and the variety of factors that could shape its implementation. As 2030 approaches, the development of the 60 strategic projects and the emergence of additional mineral capacity will offer increasingly concrete indications of Europe’s progress in the critical raw materials sector.