The European Commission has today set out a revised list of Critical Raw Materials identified as key requirements for European industry.

 The 2014 list includes 13 of the 14 materials identified in the previous list of 2011, with only tantalum moving out of the list (due to a lower supply risk). Six new materials appear on the list: borates, chromium, coking coal, magnesite, phosphate rock and silicon metal bringing the number up to 20 raw materials which are now considered critical by the European Commission.

The other 14 raw materials are: antimony, beryllium, cobalt, fluorspar, gallium, germanium, indium, magnesium, natural graphite, niobium, platinum group metals, heavy rare earths, light rare earths and tungsten.

Of the major producers of the twenty EU critical raw materials, China is clearly the most influential in terms of global supply. Several other countries have dominant supplies of specific raw materials, such as the USA (beryllium) and Brazil (niobium). Supply of other materials, for example the platinum group metals and borates, is more diverse but is still relatively concentrated.

The list is intended to help to incentivise the European production of critical raw materials and facilitate the launching of new mining and recycling activities. The list is also being used by the Commission to help prioritise needs and actions- including as a supporting element when negotiating trade agreements, challenging trade distortion measures or promoting research and innovation.

It also provides a useful source of information for companies who would wish to evaluate the criticality of their own supply of raw materials.

Key economic sectors in Europe - such as automotive, aerospace and renewable energy - are highly dependent on raw materials, which are fundamental for the development of environmental technologies and the digital agenda.

European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship commented:

"The Commission, in cooperation with Member States and stakeholders, is taking a wide range of measures to implement this strategy. These include a reinforced Raw Materials Diplomacy and trade policy, fostering sustainable supply within the EU and boosting resource efficiency and promoting recycling. The EU list we presented today aims at contributing to the implementation of the EU industrial policy and to ensure that European industrial competitiveness is strengthened."

Supporting European industrial competitiveness

Raw materials are identified as critical, when their high supply risk is mainly due to the fact that a high share of the worldwide production is concentrated in few countries. This concentration is in many cases compounded by low substitutability and low recycling rates.

.The list of critical raw materials is part of the Commission’s second progress report on the implementation of the EU Raw Materials Initiative, launched in 2008, which was issued alongside the updated list.