Can the European Union overcome its deep reliance on China’s critical minerals supply chain?
Illustration by Nate Kitch
This January, at a press conference 1,700 feet underground in Sweden’s Lapland region, one of Europe’s most pressing policy goals seemed to finally be within reach. State-owned miner LKAB was announcing a major discovery in its Kiruna mine: one of the largest deposits of rare earth elements in Europe.
Illustration by Nate Kitch
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“This is really an important day for Sweden and for the whole of the European Union,” said Ebba Busch, Sweden’s minister for energy, business and industry, while donning a blue hard hat. “It is a significant happening which can play a key role in securing a green transition within the EU.”
Along with other critical minerals, such as lithium and cobalt, the 17 rare earth elements (REEs) are essential for the green and digital trans
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Robert Lighthizer, the U.S. Trade Representative under Donald Trump, reflects on his decision to launch the trade war with China and begin the process of "strategic decoupling" — a process he says the U.S. must see through to the end.
