REEsilience Webinar Recap: Discussing the EU's Critical Raw Materials Act and its Implications
On January 18th, 2024, a focused and informative webinar was held to discuss the European Union’s Critical Raw Materials (CRM) Act, a significant piece of legislation poised to influence the EU’s approach towards achieving a climate-neutral economy by 2050. Organized by the RESiLEX and REEsilience projects, the online event offered a platform for a detailed exploration of the CRM Act and its role in supporting the EU’s green and digital transition.
The CRM Act, introduced in 2023 and expected to be operational early this year, is a strategic initiative by the EU to ensure reliable, secure, and resilient access to critical raw materials. These materials are pivotal for the EU’s ambitions towards environmental sustainability and technological advancement.
The webinar commenced with an in-depth presentation by Daniel Cios from the European Commission, who provided an overview of the EU’s policy on raw materials under the CRM Act. This presentation was crucial for setting the context of the subsequent discussions, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in securing critical raw materials.
Subsequently, the webinar shifted focus to the contributions of the RESILEX and REEsilience projects in aligning with the objectives of the CRM Act. Santiago Cuesta-Lòpez, representing the Iberian Sustainable Mining Cluster, introduced the Resilex project, emphasizing its role in promoting sustainable mining practices. Carlo Burkhardt from Pforzheim University detailed the REEsilience project, outlining its efforts to strengthen the resilience of the EU’s critical raw materials supply chain.
The session concluded with insights from Marie Nicolle of the Comet Group, a company specializing in recovering valuable metal waste. Her presentation on recycling solutions for critical raw materials provided a pragmatic perspective on the recycling aspect of the CRM strategy.
For those who could not attend the live session, a webinar recording is available here.
The presentations from the webinar are also accessible for download:
- “The EU Policy on Raw Materials and the CRM Act” by Daniel Cios (European Commission)
- “The Resilex project” by Santiago Cuesta-Lòpez (Iberian Sustainable Mining Cluster)
- “The REEsilience project” by Carlo Burkhardt (Pforzheim University)
- “Critical Raw Materials – Recycling Solutions” by Marie Nicolle (Groupe Comet)
This webinar served as an essential platform for understanding the nuances of the CRM Act and its impact on the EU’s strategy towards a sustainable future. The discussions and presentations provided valuable insights into the Act’s implementation and the innovative solutions being developed in response to it.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed during the webinar are solely those of the presenters and do not necessarily reflect the positions of the European Union or the Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor HADEA is accountable for these opinions.
