EUROPE

Europe critical minerals coverage follows the EU’s drive to reduce
dependence on Chinese-processed battery materials under the Critical
Raw Materials Act, which sets binding targets of 10% domestic extraction,
40% domestic processing, and 15% recycled content by 2030. From
Finland’s Keliber lithium project and the contested Jadar deposit in
Serbia to Portugal’s Iberian Lithium Belt and Sweden’s rare earth
extraction from LKAB iron ore operations, European supply chains are
advancing but remain years from self-sufficiency. This section tracks
permitting, project development, EU policy, and the gigafactory supply
chain investments defining European critical minerals strategy in 2026.