Europe urgently needs so-called critical raw materials: earth metals such as cobalt and neodymium, but also lithium. They are now widely used in all kinds of household appliances, such as washing machines and dryers. If Europe wants to realize its green ambitions, the EU will have to get its hands on dozens of times more of these raw materials in the near future, for example for wind turbines and the batteries of electric cars.
That is why the European Commission is making plans about opening mines. Because if Europe wants to realize its green ambitions, it needs many more raw materials. For example, the leaked bill on critical raw materials states that the EU will need 57 times more lithium in 2050 than now. Of the total need for materials, 15 percent must also come from reuse.