On July 25, 2025, REEsilience project coordinator Prof. Dr. Carlo Burkhardt was interviewed by Deutschlandfunk, a public-broadcasting radio station in Germany, on the topic of Rare Earth metals, focusing on Alternatives to imports from China.
Rare Earths Elements (REE) are necessary materials to achieve the green and digital transition in Europe. They are an essential part of permanent magnets, strong and very efficient magnets used in, e.g. e-vehicles, wind turbines or sensor applications. While being a world leader in the manufacturing of, e.g. electric motors, the EU is fully import-dependent along the entire value chain of RE magnet materials. Despite a growing market, European magnet production capacity is underutilised and tends to serve specialised niche applications.
The interview can be accessed through the audio library here.