None of the 46 new strategic projects selected by the European Commission to secure Europe’s supply of critical raw materials concerns Cyprus. The projects are spread across 16 member states, with three in neighbouring Greece, and form the latest step in the EU’s effort to strengthen its supply chains and reduce dependence on a single supplier.
The three projects in Greece
Greece’s share comprises two recycling facilities and one mining project.
Two belong to ElvalHalcor: the ETEOCLES project, a low-grade copper recycling hub, and a new aluminium recycling hub serving the aluminium rolling sector. The third is Hellas Gold’s copper mining operation at Skouries in Halkidiki.
The remaining projects are located in Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.
What the Commission says
Presenting the package, Commission Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné said a key aim was to prepare a hub for critical raw materials.
“With the projects selected for 2025 and 2026, we could now fully meet our European mining target for lithium, nickel, rare earths, magnesium and tungsten,” he said. “We could also achieve our target for processing lithium and rare earths, as well as our recycling target for lithium, cobalt and rare earths.”
How the projects were chosen
The projects were selected from 102 applications submitted under the second call of the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), which closed on 15 January 2026.
The Commission and external experts assessed 92 applications against the criteria set out in the Act. These include security of supply, technical feasibility, environmental, social and governance standards, and cross-border benefits for the EU.
A consultation then followed with the Critical Raw Materials Board, which includes representatives of the member states, with the European Parliament participating as an observer.
What the projects cover
The selection covers 15 of the CRMA’s 17 strategic raw materials and different stages of the value chain. Eight projects concern mining, 11 processing and 19 recycling, making recycling the largest single category. A further eight are integrated projects: three combine mining and processing, and five combine processing and recycling.
The projects are expected to strengthen three value chains in particular:
Batteries: seven projects for lithium, 12 for nickel, 10 for cobalt, five for manganese and four for graphite.
Defence and aerospace: two magnesium projects and three tungsten projects.
Permanent magnets: four rare earth projects.
The 2030 targets
Under the CRMA, by 2030 European capacity should meet at least 10% of the EU’s annual consumption of strategic raw materials through mining, 40% through processing and 25% through recycling.
According to the Commission, the new projects could fully meet the mining targets for lithium, nickel, rare earths, magnesium and tungsten, as well as the processing targets for lithium and rare earths. They could also meet 89% of the processing target for cobalt, 57% for tungsten and 51% for magnesium, and are expected to fully achieve the recycling targets for lithium, cobalt and rare earths.
The latest selection adds to 47 strategic projects within the EU chosen in March 2025 and 13 in third countries chosen in June 2025. Together, the Commission expects them to make a significant contribution to risk reduction and the diversification of supply sources.
Progress on earlier projects
The Commission said the projects selected in 2025 are progressing towards operation. To date, 25 have completed their environmental impact assessment and 17 have received construction permits, with support from the member states’ Single Points of Contact, which are designed to accelerate permitting procedures.
