EU identifies 47 strategic projects to boost critical minerals sector

The European Commission has identified 47 strategic projects which it hopes will kick-start the region’s critical minerals sector and reduce its dependence on imports.

But even as European policy-makers work to build a future industrial base, they are facing a crisis in the region’s existing metals sector.

Over-capacity from Asia and high energy prices have accelerated the long-term decline of European steel and aluminium production.

The latest threat, however, is